New Legal High Ban "Will Not Work"

That's according to an East Yorkshire mum.

Published 27th Jan 2016

An East Yorkshire mum whose son died after taking drugs he bought online says new legislation banning 'legal highs' does not go far enough in tackling the problem.

Julie Woods 28-year-old son Richard passed away in 2012 after consuming drugs he had purchased on the internet.

She's been giving us her thoughts on a new Government bill which is due to come into force - banning all new psychoactive substances in the UK.

It's to try and help curb the use of so-called 'legal highs'.

But Julie believes it doesn't go far enough and more education is needed. She told us:

"They need to look more at the education and that is the only way it will do any good, banning it is not going to do anything because people will just go on the internet and get hold of it like my son did so it's not going to do anything at all I don't think.

"It doesn't matter whether you ban them, people will just go under ground and people will be able to get them like my son did on the internet. As far as I can see this ban only covers the EU anyway and my son got them from South America.

"Not a day goes by that I don't think about Richard. It is with you every day because every day you see something in the news that somebody has died after taking these drugs. It's something you just have to learn to live with but it's a horrible thing to go through and we never forget Richard, we think about him all the time."

Julie says she had no idea her son had been taking recreational drugs:

"I knew when he was younger but I thought he had grown out of it but I think once people have taken them it is an ongoing thing. I'm raising awareness and I've just done a video which is going into schools and I've just had a massive order from Cumbria Police to show to young people there."