Two deaths in Shetland are being linked to so-called legal highs prompting a warning from police chief Eddie Graham.
The chief inspector spoke out on Friday over the dangers of legal highs, which he referred to as novel psychoactive substances. He said the term “legal high” did not reflect the potential risks involved in taking the substances.
Legal highs have been linked to two deaths. Photo courtesy www.talktofrank.com
Mr Graham said: “Novel psychoactive substances can contain a range of ingredients some of which have been shown to be illegal drugs or other dangerous substances. The term ‘legal high’ has been adopted by users however packages are clearly marked as ‘not for human consumption’.
“Basically users don’t know what they are consuming with some horrific side effects which can include acute psychosis, heart attacks and strokes. There are also significant risks when users are consuming substances in combination with alcohol and other drugs and we are linking this type of use to two recent deaths in Shetland.”
Anyone with any information about the supply or consumption of novel psychoactive substances or any illegal drugs should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.