Momentum building in towns to close down 'head shops'

As concern at the number of so-called 'head shops' in the county rises, a special meeting of Kells Town Council has been called for Friday evening to discuss the recent opening of one such premises in the town. Concern has also been expressed at the number of shops in Navan selling 'herbal highs' and, in Trim, local businesses and public representatives have pledged to prevent any of these shops opening in the town. Recent plans to open such a shop in Dunshaughlin were thwarted by pressure from local residents. The cathaoirleach of Kells Town Council, Cllr Brian Curran, said he would be bringing pressure on the local Oireachtas members to bring forward legislation to deal with this type of premises on an emergency basis. He has invited local TDs and the Gardai to attend Friday's meeting. Cllr Curran said the concern about the shops in Kells was enormous and he had received countless phone calls from worried parents and residents. "We will do everything in our power to stop it," he said. Cllr Conor Ferguson called for the immediate closure of the shop and said while legislation to deal with this type of premises was planned, he said that in the intervening five months, many more young people would have been introduced to drugs. He urged landlords to be vigilant and to directly ask people planning to rent premises from them if the premises would be a 'head shop'. Marie Byrne of the Aisling International drug awareness group said there was a lot of concern about these shops, but they would continue to open up as long as there was no legistlation there to stop them. She warned that the legal 'highs' sold in these premises were as harmful as as other drugs and pointed out that one young man had already died as a consequence of using these drugs while many others have had terrible problems with paranoia and anxiety as a result of using herbal highs. "These substances affect the heart rate, the brain, respiratory system and have, in some cases, caused severe paranoia and anxiety. I know people who have not been able to go outside the door for several weeks after using them," she said. She said she hoped that something would be done to ensure these premises are closed down completely. Deputy Damien English uged Minister Mary Harney to fast-track her promise to introduce legislation to deal with the problem before her own timeframe of June. "Minister Harney's pledge to bring forward legislation by June is welcomed but must be acted on sooner. Fine Gael TDs and senators have been calling for such legislation to be implemented as a matter of urgency. The time to act on this issue is in the coming weeks, not the coming months." He said these type of shops had already done untold physiological and psychiatric damage to people. "The products sold in these shops mimic the effects of illegal substances, however people feel it is okay to take them because they are legal. Some, as a result of their herbal highs, have reported suffering from panic attacks, paranoia, delirium and psychosis." Deputy English pointed out that Fine Gael's Health spokesperson, James Reilly, had put forward a five-point plan which should be considered when drafting the legislation. These included ensuring that no substance for human consumption should be sold across any counter unless it has been approved by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland or the Irish Medicines Board and products should not be sold under the guise of one thing (eg, plant food) when the common practice is for young adults to misuse it by consuming it. The proposals also include a requirement that all substances must have product liability insurance and legislation on planning should be tightened to specifically cover these types of premises. Trim Town Councillor Ger Reilly said the best policy was not to let 'head shops' into Trim and he appealed to auctioneers and landlords in the locality to be vigilant about who they rent their premises to. "I have spoken to the auctioneers in Trim and they are all fully behind us that the best policy is not to let these shops in and are happy to support us. We are also advising landlords that this is not something we want to see in Trim. There is fierce opposition to allowing one of these shops into Trim and the Chamber of Commerce is also supporting us," said Cllr Reilly. Cllr Reilly said they are appealing to landlords who deal on their own initiative to be wary who they rent to. "I have an empty shop on Market Street and I'd rather see it empty than rent it for any of those shops. We are trying to be proactive in Trim rather than reactive and it is only a matter of time before they look to set up one in Trim. It is areas of high unemployment that are being targetted, people who are already down, and are vulnerable with time on their hands. These shops bring all their own problems and we are trying to be vigilant," added Cllr Reilly.