Galway City head shops continue to sell ‘deadly’ substances

But party pills and skunk seeds have not been banned . . . yet

Three head shops in Galway are continuing to sell potentially deadly substances following the introduction of the ban on ‘legal highs’ last month.

Two of the five controversial stores in the city have ceased trading since an immediate criminal ban on a list of drugs was announced in May.

However, three outlets in Galway have continued to sell a number of psychoactive substances which have escaped the remit of the amended legislation.

The head shops are still selling Kratom, which is a medicinal leaf which was traditionally used for its psychoactive substances in Thailand and Malaysia, though it has since been banned in those countries.

It is also banned in several European countries and has the potential to cause side-effects that include priapism and testicular enlargement.

The Galway stores are also vending Salvia, which is a powerful hallucinogen that mimics the effects of LSD.

‘Party pills’ and skunk seeds, which can be cultivated into cannabis plants, have also circumvented the legislation and are available over the counter in Galway head shops.

A spokesman for An Garda Síochána told The Sentinel that head shops were being continuously monitored for the sale of illegal substances since the introduction of the ban.

“There have been no breaches of the existing legislation detected to date and the owners of the businesses have been very cooperative and approachable,” he said.

Source: Connacht Sentinel, 01/06/2010