Legal highs send 11 to hospital in a fortnight as ban comes into force

The victims - 10 in Winchester and another in Southampton - were all believed to have consumed a highly addictive form of synthetic cannabis called Spice.

Teams from Hampshire County Council's Drug and Alcohol Action Team refused to disclose the ages of the victims and when they fell ill - but say it was within the last two weeks and are urging people to avoid the drug.

It comes as a blanket ban on so-called legal highs, which have responsible for the deaths of scores of teenagers nationwide and in Hampshire, today became law.

Traders selling the potentially lethal drugs on the high street and online face tough punishments as part of a crackdown combatting the increasing numbers of young people losing their lives after consuming the substances.

The ban signals a victory for the Daily Echo's Say No to Legal Highs campaign launched three years ago calling for tougher laws, vendors and sellers to be held to account and tighter controls to stop youngsters buying the dangerous substances over the counter.

But health campaigners at a charity which supported our campaign have warned the landmark legislation may not work because the Government has failed to launch an accompanying public health campaign fully informing people of the legal implications and health risks.

Leading Hampshire politicians are piling pressure on Westminster to do more to lay bare the dangers of legal highs and ensure it can be sufficiently policed following a number of high profile deaths of young people in the county and scores more falling ill.

Home Office chiefs have defended the ban have prepared a raft of measures to inform people of the dangers and the new law.

The new Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA) makes it an offence to produce, supply, offer to supply, possess with intent to supply, possess on custodial premises, import or export psychoactive substances. The maximum sentence is seven years’ imprisonment.

It also aims to ensure a watertight ban by stopping manufacturers circumventing the system by making tiny changes to the composition of the drugs to get around previous bans.

Some substances such as caffeine, alcohol, foods, and medicines are excluded and there are exemptions covering healthcare activities and approved scientific research.

But the ban was temporarily delayed from April 6 amid fears it would not be enforceable by the police.

Jeremy Sare, director of the Angelus Foundation, which supported our campaign, said the legislation marks a "huge step forward" but felt young people should have been directly targeted in advance through public health and social media campaigns.

He said: "We are pleased decisive action has been taken against the high street traders. But we wanted a greater commitment to education and it's deeply disappointing that the Government hasn't invested in publicising this law. They say there is not enough money, but taxpayers are parents and young people and they should be aware of the risks."

He anticipated traders would eventually move on to e-cigarettes and vaping products instead, while many websites would eventually shut down, but added: "This isn't going to go away overnight. These drugs are potent and we need to work with communities in the grip of addiction."

Southampton Test Labour MP Alan Whitehead (above), who backed our campaign, also welcomed the ban, but said a lack of a public drive could be "potentially damaging", adding: "There's a danger it will creep in through the back door rather than be known by everybody and people will not think they are doing anything wrong. But these substances are illegal and there is the danger of falling ill or dying."

He added that the police must be more "sophisticated" in tackling the supply, and said: "We can't underestimate the difficulty of the task in hand."

Southampton Itchen Conservative MP Royston Smith will be raising the matter at Prime Minister's Questions, and added: "It is excellent this legislation has been brought in. But it could have been more high profile. The whole point of this is protecting people and I still have reservations that it will be difficult to police and unscrupulous people will try to modify the ingredients."

The county's new police and crime commissioner Michael Lane said: “These substances affect your behaviour, health, and are potentially lethal; they should be known as lethal highs because they can and do kill people.

"My priority is to keep residents safe and this change in law makes it clear that these are in no way safe.”

A spokesman for the Home Office said the Government was already running a range of measures to tackle the problem - including presenting guidelines for local authorities and clinicians and highlighting drug risks at 50 music festivals.

Karen Bradley, minister for preventing abuse, exploitation and crime, said: "Too many lives have been lost or ruined by the dangerous drugs formerly referred to as 'legal highs'. That is why we have taken action to stamp out this brazen trade.

"The Psychoactive Substances Act sends a clear message — these drugs are not legal, they are not safe and we will not allow them to be sold in this country.”

Colin McAllister, service development officer, at Southampton City Council said the authority's substance misuse services have been working to spread the word among the public and training it staff.

A council spokesman added: "We would urge anyone experiencing any concerns around this and any other drug or alcohol use to seek medical help.”