Lincoln first city in UK to ban legal highs in public places

Lincoln is set to become the first place in the UK to ban the use of legal highs in public places.

Lincoln city council recently voted in favour of putting a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in place as a means of tackling antisocial behaviour in the area. The council hopes that when the city centre is free of people using legal highs there will be a noticeable decrease in rowdy behaviour.

Ric Metcalfe, leader of the council, said, “The council has recognised there is a problem relating to street drinking and the use of new psychoactive substances and welcomes the reform of anti-social behaviour powers. We want our city centre to be a safe and welcoming place for residents and visitors alike. The council said it would work with police to produce an enforcement plan to support the order.”

Lincolnshire police has welcomed the ban, but they claim that it does not go far enough to tackle the problem. In 2014, they recorded 820 incidents where legal high substances had been involved. A spokesman for the police said that the ban tackled the on-street problem, but that they would like to see new legislation put in place so that they were better able to deal with incidents.

This feeling is echoed by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), who are also demanding action directed against the sellers of the substances, giving the police authority to close down shops that continue to sell them.