FOUR POPULAR SYNTHETIC drugs have been outlawed with immediate effect after the Department of Health declared they were a danger to the public.
The freshly banned substances have been banned under the Misuse of Drugs Act. They include the synthetic cannabis XLR-11 which is better known as ‘spice’.
Spice is found in a range of herbal mixtures and is sold under a host of different names including ‘Maya 2012’, ‘Peace’, ‘Funky Green Stuff (Reggie’s Blend)’ and ‘Hammer Head’.
The drug was at the centre of nearly 60 incidents over the course of one weekend in Manchester earlier this year.
Tony Duffin of the Ana Liffey Drug project told TheJournal.ie at the time that the drug is widely in use in Ireland.
U-47700, also known as ‘Pink’ or ‘U4′ has also been outlawed. The substance was developed as a synthetic opioid pain medication.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reported at least 46 deaths linked to use of the drug between 2015 and 2016.
The four newly banned drugs are:
The Department of Health said that the substances underwent a scientific risk assessment and were deemed to pose a serious risk to public health and safety.
With reporting by Christina Finn
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