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Legal high ban results in one arrest in Nottinghamshire

Only one arrest for the supply of drugs formerly known as legal highs has been made in the county of Nottinghamshire since new legislation came into force.

The arrest was subsequently refused by the Crown Prosecution Service. According to the deputy chief constable, Simon Torr, who was speaking at the chief constable’s update report at West Bridgford’s County Hall, the new legislation that has implemented a blanket ban on the substances will take some time to ‘bed in’. However, Mr Torr stated that the Nottinghamshire Police were committed to tackling the drug problem. He said, “Our teams are trained and our dogs are trained to identify these substances and we are trying to prosecute wherever we can.”

The new legislation, introduced in May, makes it a criminal offence to manufacture, distribute, offer for sale, and supply new psychoactive substances. Anyone caught breaking the law in these ways can face up to seven year’s imprisonment under the Psychoactive Substances Act.

There have been drop-in sessions at Nottinghamshire Police for both staff and police officers throughout August, in an attempt to increase awareness of the drugs. A report reveals that more than 66% of all night-time violence can be linked to alcohol. There has been a greater than 17% reduction in the number of drug offences related to supply and manufacture during the last year. The substances are known to be prevalent in many jails, including Nottinghamshire Prison, and are a cause of violence.

 

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