Totally understand, Jaffster.

I think what is more important is to evaluate this a positively as possible. As unfair as it seems that ALL psychoactive substances will be banned except for a select few Gov poisons, we should think forward.

If anything, this may in fact be a hurdle that needs to take place in order to prove (in time), that ban's leads to more harms than good...which like in the case of Ireland, may go towards assisting decriminalization of drugs.

These bans are unlikely to hit the importation (of small quantities) of medicinal plants in natural form, which i suspect will be still available from overseas. I think the problem for Customs is these NPS legal high chemicals rather than anything else.

This was on Radio 4 last night (18th March 2016)
During the programme they mentioned that the implementation of the law is being delayed "until the spring - which in Westminster terms goes up to the end of July"! This is precisely because of the law being an ill-thought-out shambles of ideologically-based ambiguity.

Download it here within the next six days, or use the edited version I've uploaded. Try not to listen to it if you're driving as I ended up screaming abuse at some of the lies and misinformation certain of the interviewees were coming out with...

If the time is available, I'll produce a transcript of the programme.

Actually this is good news.

Interesting to hear from the person who started this all, but a blanket ban will almost likely do more harm than good. (Far better to regulate sales, and categorise them individually according to harms, than ban the lot...as one person wisely said.)

Great link!

Here are some words from Maryon Stewart. I'm a slightly puzzled as to why she supports the UK legislation.

And this should link to her Parents' Handbook.

Thanks for the links to her rather outdated website. Saw the video and noted that she mainly focuses on the 'branded type' legal high products often sold in headshops which 'may' contain a mix of unknown substances. However she fails to differentiate between other 'forms' of legal highs that are less confusing for the consumer to understand... such as plants, or research chemicals, which can be easily studied for harm reduction purposes online, and that may even have medicinal uses.

Interestingly she fails to explain that Headshops officially sell to Adults ages 18 and over, yet talks about OUR KIDS. So therefore perhaps THAT point needs more discussion: Kids shouldn't be able to access these substances in the first place.

So, if age restrictions were properly addressed, this would only be an ADULT issue. Then again do Adults need her 'Nannying', or do they need Adult quality information?

She talks about her website/organisation, but there are Charities like 'Prison me no way', who visit schools preaching the 'dangers of drugs, legal highs, etc'.

I always find it interesting that whenever legal highs are discussed in the media, etc, that their 'relative harms' are never compared to those of Alcohol or Tobacco, which are statistically the 'deadliest' of drugs, just ones supplied by the Gov!

At least she is in favor of spreading awareness rather than banning!

I just listened to the Radio 4 show, I felt like I wanted to reach through the internet and grab them all and give them a good shaking! At one point she said "There were 129 (or something like that) deaths in 2014 attributed to legal highs" and I just wanted somebody to say "And how does that compare to the amount of deaths attributed to Alcohol or Tobacco?

I honestly just wish that politics was based on reason and rationale, rather than what will win the most votes or set them on the path of winning the most votes in the next election.

It happens time and time again, as was mentioned earlier in this thread, David Cameron in 2005 was an advocate for drug policy reform yet now he is in power he is pushing through the most incredibly stupid law that I've ever seen.

The same thing happened with Obama on his stance of whistleblowers. Before he was elected, he spoke about freeing whistleblowers to come forward and tell the world about what they know, now that he's in power he has actually arrested more people under espionage and other laws for whistleblowing than all presidents combined before him.

Looks like the ban will sit stagnant for a while (maybe indefinitely). Some decent info here.

God save the Queen.

Thanks for the link.

I am trying to be as positive about this as possible. Even though i believe the Government to be totally self serving, at least they have not so far been able to force through this daft ban...yet!

This is GREAT news!

It's essentially been kicked into the long grass. I would be surprised if we hear anything of this bill anytime this year.

Oversoul is spraying confetti!
(Someone else will later clean up).

Holy shit this is great news! It was doomed from the start - it's hard to think of a more stupid way to go about what they were trying to achieve. Here's hoping that it doesn't get a second look.

I now have about three years worth of MHRB, Caapi, and supplies because of the impending ban.... Ha. Better get extracting...

More clarification is required for plants. Is there actually a 'banned' list of substances?

Wow.

No doubt this will upset a lot of people, if only because it is totally unnecessary and overly draconian. I think it proves more than ever that as far as Governments are concerned, we are nothing but slaves to their whims.

Regarding their definition of Psychoactive substance;

" For the purposes of this Act a substance produces a psychoactive effect in a person if, by stimulating or depressing the person’s central nervous system, it affects the person’s mental functioning or emotional state; and references to a substance’s psychoactive effects are to be read accordingly. "

..I believe this definition was open to interpretation?

I guess we should work hard to free ourselves mentally and physically from this shit. I also think this is just a hollow victory, the supply will just shift to dark net markets and other countries. Writing a law and enforcing a law is a different kettle of fish.

Absolutely.

It will be interesting to see the forthcoming outcry over this, and what comes out of it.

Absolutely.

It will be interesting to see the forthcoming outcry over this, and what comes out of it.

Quite annoying that this will ban substances which were not in the problem causing NPS category. Stuff like blue lotus, or even dream enhancers may be banned.

A blatant disregard for mental freedom.