Greater Manchester Police launches illegal high amnesty

Police have signalled their intention to wipe the streets of Greater Manchester clean of legal highs with the launch of a week-long amnesty.

The sale of legal highs, synthetic drugs, designed to mimic the effects of cocaine or cannabis, was outlawed in May this year. The legislation closed the final loophole on these substances being openly sold in shops or on the internet.

The amnesty, set to end on 24 July, will enable shopkeepers who still have these substances in stock to surrender them to police without questions asked.

In an appeal to users, Greater Manchester Police are also encouraging them to surrender their legal highs in a process which the authorities insist will be totally anonymous.

Mayor, and Police and Crime Commissioner, Tony Lloyd has welcomed this amnesty. He said, “We have seen first-hand here in Greater Manchester the damage these substances can do to the people that use them, often ending up in the hands of young people who have no idea what it is they are taking.

“This amnesty is a positive step in working together – police, health, trading standards, and local people – to raise awareness of the dangers of these drugs, tackle those who sell them and ultimately, save heartache and lives”

The move comes after it was revealed by the Manchester Evening News that legal highs were still available on the streets of Manchester a month after the ban, with children as young as 12 being reported as being among the users.