A senior garda has told RTÉ's Prime Time that the force cannot pursue a prosecution for the sale and possession of some psychoactive substances - or legal highs.
Legal high Clockwork Orange has been linked to the death of two young men in Monaghan in the last year. The synthetic cannabis is being sold predominantly online, but also by street dealers.
Detective Inspector Tony Howard, from the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, told RTÉ Prime Time: "We have an issue with some new psychoactive substances because the legislation has done a major job on closing down the industry, however there are certain proofs we need for the courts and one of them is to prove they are psychoactive."
“Only five prosecutions have been taken under the legislation introduced to outlaw legal highs, The Psychoactive Substances Act. In order to pursue a prosecution the drugs seized or being sold must be classified as psychoactive," he said.
Det Insp Howard said that "with Clockwork Orange, which I am very aware of, there is an issue, but it's not just an issue here in this jurisdiction, there's very little international research around that particular drug, so yes there is an issue with that particular drug".
Source: RTÉ.ie, 17/11/15
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