A Tayside family have told how so-called legal highs have devastated their vulnerable son’s life.
John and Mary Head said the substances changed 33-year-old Shane’s personality and worsened his mental health problems, putting him in Stracathro Hospital, near Brechin, for the next six months.
The couple, from Newbigging, said their son had been buying the drugs from shops in Dundee and grew aggressive if he could not get his next hit.
They have called on the Scottish Government to crack down on “legal high” shops, which do not need a licence to trade. Mr Head, 62, said: “Shane has always had mental health problems, as he suffered brain damage due to his difficult birth.
“Because of that he’s got no understanding that these substances are bad for him. We don’t know how long he’s been taking the ‘legal highs’ for, but it was six months ago that he went from being a placid person to being aggressive.
“He smashed up his TV and Xbox and he started hearing voices in his head. We’ve taken the ‘legal high’ wrappers that we’ve found to his doctor, but neither they, nor the police, nor the council can do anything as these things are legal.
“Trading standards told us the shops don’t even need a licence to sell them. For me, this is beyond belief.”
Mrs Head, 58, said Shane had become a “different person” to the one the family knew. She tried to explain to her son that the “legal highs” were harmful, but said he did not understand.
“Even the mental health nurse had trouble explaining it to him,’ she said. “He just kept saying ‘they’re legal so it’s OK’. Shane is an adult so it’s very difficult to stop him taking the substances.
“Something needs to be done about ‘legal highs’ as a matter of urgency.”
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “Our Trading Standards officers respond to any complaints about premises which sell so-called legal highs. Officers also advise premises where appropriate. Additionally, we work closely with Police Scotland on this issue.”