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Press Release 27th August 2010
Extra powers for Gardaí to Crack Down on Head Shops- Curran Government Chief Whip and previous Drugs Minister John Curran T.D. has said he supports the steps being taken by the Government and the Gardaí on the issue of head shops. The Act makes it an offence, punishable by up to five years imprisonment, to sell or supply for human consumption substances which are not specifically proscribed under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, but which have psychoactive effects. Welcoming this new legislation, Minister Curran said: “The new law that was introduced on Monday (23rd August 2010) gives new powers to the Gardaí for targeting the activities of head shops around the country. “The Act provides full search and seizure powers for the Gardaí and Revenue’s Customs Service. This will allow undercover Gardaí to enter headshops to determine if they are selling illegal ‘highs’. The Gardaí will be in a position to make random purchases of products on sale in the head shop. These substances will then be tested forensically to establish whether or not they are psychoactive. “The new law also gives powers to An Garda Síochána and the courts to intervene quickly to prevent outlets or any person from selling these products by way of prohibition orders. Failure to comply with such orders can lead to the closure of the outlets in question and five years imprisonment. “The Government is taking a clear stand on this issue and I very much welcome that. However, experience has shown that new psychoactive substances can quickly emerge. Accordingly, in this Act the Minister is providing a criminal justice “catch all” approach to prohibit the sale generally of unregulated psychoactive substances for human consumption. Minister Curran concluded: “With the coming into operation of this Act, the Gardaí will be in position to watch closely the activities of head shops in our communities and to use the powers of this Act to deal with any continued sale of unregulated psychoactive substances for human consumption.”
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