Carey to introduce measures to prevent head shops trading

MINISTER FOR Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Pat Carey pledged “watertight measures’’ to prevent head shops trading.

He said that such shops had almost spun out of control in a short time.

There were side-effects from the products sold, apart from the obvious ones of antisocial behaviour and damage to health and society.

“There is no doubt that many of those products, legal and otherwise, are gateways to the use of other drugs,’’ he added.

“Let no one be under any illusion but that this industry is highly organised and determined.’’ Mr Carey said that through the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, the Department of Health was finalising regulations to introduce controls on a range of substances.

“These regulations will make the possession and sale of these substances illegal and subject to criminal sanctions,’’ he added.

Mr Carey said that the relevant authorities were being consulted to ensure any legitimate uses of the substances involved were not impinged upon.

It was envisaged, he added, that the regulations would come into effect in late June.

Mr Carey said that the activities of head shops were being closely monitored by gardaí and Revenue Customs’ service to ensure that no illegal substances were being sold.

“My department has been in contact with the Attorney General about a range of approaches to the matter and a number of issues arising in that context are being considered at senior level within an interdepartmental framework,’’ he added.

Fine Gael’s Michael Ring said he objected to calling them head shops, adding that they were “drug shops”.

“Recently, a drug shop in Dublin was burnt down, accidentally or otherwise, and €500,000 was found in the safe by the Garda, probably more than in any of the banks in the country,’’ he added.

Mr Ring warned that children would die if something was not done about the matter.

Labour’s Jack Wall said head shop owners wanted to form a representative association to defend their right to trade.