Police Scotland Highland and Islands Division and NHS Highland, supported by Highland Alcohol and Drug Partnership, held a successful Facebook chat event on Tuesday 10 December on the topic on Novel Psychoactive Substances, which reached over 10,000 Facebook users.
Detective Inspector Craig Thomson and Karen Carson, Health Promotion Specialist (Substance Misuse) attended the event, chatting with the public and answering questions about Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS), commonly referred to as ‘legal highs’.
There were a total of 92 comments and the chat had an audience of 10,264 people.
Detective Inspector Craig Thomson said: “It was clear from the discussion that the topic of Novel Psychoactive Substances is one that invokes a debate, so it was very interesting to see and discuss the comments that were made throughout the session.
“I hope those who participated and those who were viewing the chat event found it to be a useful and informative forum to discuss the topic.”
He continued: “The reference of Novel Psychoactive Substances as ‘legal’ is very misleading. On many occasions such allegedly ‘legal’ substances are found to contain controlled drugs, which are illegal. Quite simply, Police have powers to seize substances and test them and the individual could end up with a criminal record.”
Health Promotion Specialist for NHS Highland, Karen Carson, commented: “Whether you use the term Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) or ‘legal highs’, the bottom line is they are dangerous.
“Many will contain a range of substances, some of which could be illegal, and it is then difficult to know how best to treat a person when we are not sure what substance they have taken. We can only treat the presenting symptoms, which can range from acute pyschosis to heart attacks and strokes.
“We are attempting to raise awareness and provide education so that folks are aware of the risks associated with NPSs (Novel Psychoative Substances). There are a number of useful websites that contain useful advice on the topic, including advice for parents, on the following websites:
www.choicesforlifeonline.org
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