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Legislation change will make synthetic cannabis illegal

People using certain synthetic drugs in the West Midlands will find they are on the wrong side of the law when new legislation comes into force.

Drugs covered by the new law include the synthetic cannabis drugs known as Mamba and Spice. These are thought to be in common use, particularly among young and vulnerable people.

The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 has been amended to categorise synthetic cannabis as a Class B controlled drug. The amendment empowers West Midlands Police to arrest and prosecute anyone found in possession of synthetic cannabis. Due to the newness of the amendment, many users may be unaware that they are breaking the law by continuing to use synthetic cannabis. So, West Midlands Police has issued a warning about the new legislation.

Chief Inspector, Simon Inglis, the lead for drugs and new psychoactive substances in the force, stated that until now it had been a criminal offence to produce and supply such drugs, but not to possess them. He said, “All of that has now changed with the revised legislation and the key thing for people to know is that possession of these substances is now a crime, meaning users face arrest and prosecution if they have it in their possession − just like any other controlled drug.”

The new classification for synthetic cannabis has come about because of advice by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. It claims that the damage caused is almost as great as from drugs already controlled.

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