Yore says more needed after head shop sales ban

The immediate ban on the sale of some head shop drugs has been welcomed by Cllr Catherine Yore, but she said that more needed to be done. "The ban on many head shop drugs is most welcome, but we must go further to deal with the likely arrival of new products onto head shop shelves. "There is a pattern of head shops moving to new products when any particular product is outlawed. We must legislate to ensure 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," she said. She said laws alone would not protect the young and the vulnerable without a raft of other measures. "Unfortunately, due to the delay in taking action, many young people have been exposed to head shop products, and a market has been developed that is now likely to go underground." Cllr Yore said that the work of drug awareness and education groups have a vital role. "I am sure that their work, along with the work of other community groups, has saved many young people from serious harm. Parents must be on the lookout for the indicators of drug use, and be on their guard to know where young people are, and who they are with, especially as the summer holidays will soon be upon us, and young people will have a lot more spare time on their hands," added the FG county councillor.