The last week has seen an increase in media reports of incidents involving an apparently ‘new’ legal high drug sold under the brand name ‘Ivory Wave’ (or in some areas ‘Vanilla Sky’).

A young father who plunged 300ft from a cliff to his death is believed to be the first Briton to die after taking the new legal designer drug ‘Ivory Wave’, By Daily Mail Reporter

A local head shop says “mass public hysteria” caused by the media is the reason for its closure and supporters have filled the window with messages of anger targeted at the government.

Retailers who have sold certain ‘legal highs’ could face up to 10 years in prison following the initiation of prosecutions by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) against several companies for the “unauthorised” sale and importation of medicinal substances.

Mr Pat Carey, T.D., Minister for Community, Equality & Gaeltacht Affairs, stated today that naphyrone and related substances are being considered for control under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

While legislation banning all mind-altering drugs is just days away from becoming law, manufacturers of head shop products are still busily churning out new drugs.

More than 4.5 tonnes of drugs worth tens of millions of euro were removed from head shops in a Garda operation following a Government ban on May 11.

One of the Republic’s few remaining head shops has blamed “mass public hysteria” by “persistent negative media coverage” for its imminent closure.

A ban on head shop highs must be extended to the internet to fully protect children against the deadly legal drugs, campaigners claimed today.

A head shop drug available here is set to be banned in Britain after drug advisers there said it could “causeserious harm”.