Only 44 head shops still operating after ban on legal highs

The Government's ban last month on psychoactive substances in head shops has seen 60pc of the stores closing, with only 44 still operating.

Gardai have also said their strategy together with last month's ban on a wide range of legal highs had led to a 75pc drop in robberies, most of which they directly linked to addicts of head shop products.

At the height of their power there were 102 head shops operating in Ireland before April 26 but the number has plummeted to 44 by June 14 because of the Garda's Operation Kingfisher and the ban, on May 11, of substances, including the deadly mephedrone.

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Source: The Evening Herald, 01/07/2010