DEBATE ON HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE COMMITTEE REPORT: NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

15:45
Janet Finch-Saunders
Presiding Officer, as you can imagine, as a member of the Health and Social Care Committee, there are many issues that we have to discuss and take forward to inquiries. When this was suggested, I do remember Lynne Neagle AM actually making the point that we should look at this, and I remember thinking, ‘I’m not sure that this is a problem that affects my constituency or even north Wales’. Well, how wrong was I? In 2013, there were 60 deaths involving new psychoactive substances across England and Wales, a 15 per cent increase from the year before. Sadly, earlier this year, Dean Boswell and Stephen John from west Wales were found dead after taking, as our chairman has mentioned, the so-called named legal highs.
Now, in Wales, police forces have seen a twentyfold jump in the number of incidents where the term ‘legal high’ was recorded. From 18 deaths in 2012 to 371 in 2014--that is very dramatic and very sad. We found that, while most people using these stimulants, sedatives and hallucinogens are between 18 and 24, we learned too that children as young as 11 have been subjected to these. They've experienced altered behaviour, slowed-down reactions, feelings of panic and confusion and, in extreme cases, heart attacks. Worryingly, we know that new psychoactive substances are getting stronger and can be more addictive and dangerous than some illegal drugs, and yet they are so easy to obtain. Whilst doing some research on this topic, I was shocked to find that, on the second page of search engine results, there was a website offering free delivery on legal high purchases over £30. So, clearly, we have to do something, and immediately, as the Welsh Government.
Just this week, an e-cigarette shop in Newport that was selling legal highs to children has now been closed for three months by Gwent Police. Whilst the police informed the committee that this problem is worse in south Wales, it has also now been identified within my own health board, Betsi Cadwaladr. As such, I very much endorse the work that was undertaken by the committee, and I found it interesting but very, very alarming.
In an ideal world, we would see these substances banned, and in the Republic of Ireland they have worked hard to do this. But we in Wales are still only at the stage of actually collating very accurate information. I was quite concerned to hear the systems for collecting data on NPS described as ‘poor’ and ‘inconsistent’. Hospitals, police and schools have no common way of recording who takes NPS when they encounter it, and the sheer range of substances available can make it very difficult to identify when somebody is then, tragically, taken into hospital. Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board deliberately refrain now from using the term ‘legal high’ as it seems to indicate some kind of acceptable activity, which is not the case. The Welsh heads of training standards claim that healthcare professionals and substance misuse workers often fail to report these concerns, and the sad thing here today is that some teachers and professionals in other walks of life may actually be using these as a kind of a prop also. This led the Aneurin Bevan Local Health Board to suggest that the number of recorded cases of NPS use is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Now, without knowing the true prevalence of the use, how on earth is it possible to tackle the problem? With this in mind, I was delighted to see that the Minister has accepted recommendation 1 to urgently commission a piece of work—and when I say ‘urgently’, it needs doing now—to establish the best method for measuring those who take NPS. I look forward to seeing the first estimate of the problematic drug user numbers in October.
I welcome the Minister’s acceptance of recommendation 2, which aims to address the lack of co-ordination across the services. The Police Federation informed us that, in order to combat the increased usage of NPS, a multi-agency approach is required—not only the police, but trading standards, local authorities, education and health boards. We know, with reduced budgets, that does make it all the more difficult, but, clearly, there is a definite recommendation here and that must be done.
In order to give our children a fighting chance against these pernicious substances, it is essential that they are well informed, so I really would like to see yet more work done with schools. The Angelus Foundation called for better drugs education, recommending a minimum of an hour a term focusing on illegal and legal substances. Now, despite the Welsh Government’s investment in the all-Wales school liaison core programme to provide education on this area, it was noted that more consistent interpretation and enforcement is required. The Welsh Labour Government, and we all, must take practical steps to ensure the devastating effects of NPS use in Wales is tackled as an immediate.