Head Shops

I note on the news last night that certain products distributed by head shops are now going to be illegal. To be honest its not an area that I am overly familiar with, A few Friday or Saturday beers and a bottle of wine on a Sunday afternoon and an ever more seldom amount of blow out booze binges plus 2 or 3 coffees a day is about as much poison as my system can handle.



To be honest I don’t have a very strong view on whether soft drugs should be legal or not as from a personal perspective it doesn’t impact me or in fact anyone I socialise with(non drug taking/ non smoking borderline alcos) .



But these head shops have me curious. A few years ago I know that there was one or two on side streets in places like Shop street in Galway but now they same to be in every village or small town. There are three of them within 15 miles of where I live which is fairly rural.



It does seem a bit strange that you have to go to a qualified registered regulated pharmacist to get tablets for travel sickness, upset stomach, etc but you can walk in off the street and speak to some “dude” who can sell you some horse tranquilisers that have the same impact as a Class A drug. I find it even more bizarre that we have legislation that stops you buying a bottle of wine for your Sunday lunch at 12.00am but no issue with the stuff that these shops sell.



Any views ?

I believe they get away with selling those substances because of the way they're packaged.An example of this, last week one of my mates purchases 'bath salts' from of a Galway head shop, unusually for bath salts these were not used injunction with a bath full of hot water but were ingested through his nose. After using it he was in a buoyant mood but still far more composed and coherent compared to that of a drunk person (i.e me at that time)

Its keeping some the money away from drug dealers, which is good.

All The contents are known to the person purchasing it, so they are fully aware beforehand that they consuming fairly dangerous compounds.

And the Government is raising hundreds of thousands of euro in revenue.

My litmus test (which is probably for sale there too ) is; do the head shops have potential to cause more or less societal problems that Pubs/Off Licences? If they don't they should be kept, if not close them down.

Think i was in one of those in Thailand.........must be the same with a name like that. Except for the drugs though, none of them there.

There WAS one of these shops in Armagh town (same guy owned one in Dungannon). I was told that a product which was registered as plant food was being sold but was supposed to have the same effect as strong cocaine. The shop was called Legal Highs, but it stayed open to 4am on a Sunday morning. Cant see too many people wanting plant food at that time. Anyway to cut a long story short he was dragged out of a house party about a month a go in Armagh and kneecapped.

That gives rise to the question - was he kneecapped by those socially minded heroes who are trying to clean our streets, or by someone who's profits were being affected by legally bought and safer drugs (less likely to be mixed with rat poison etc.)?

samin10 wrote:There WAS one of these shops in Armagh town (same guy owned one in Dungannon). I was told that a product which was registered as plant food was being sold but was supposed to have the same effect as strong cocaine. The shop was called Legal Highs, but it stayed open to 4am on a Sunday morning. Cant see too many people wanting plant food at that time. Anyway to cut a long story short he was dragged out of a house party about a month a go in Armagh and kneecapped.

Watching spotlight last night (which by the way was presented by a lad that used to be our clubs corner back) a similar fate befell a head shop owner in Derry.

I don't think head shop proprieter would be a profession regarded very favourably by life Assurance actuaries in the wee six !!

Head shops are a disgrace, and every single one of them should be closed down. All it's doing is encouraging the use of drugs and implying drug-taking is right. These substances are not good for the body. What has the world come to at all?

Bermuda_Bomber wrote:That gives rise to the question - was he kneecapped by those socially minded heroes who are trying to clean our streets, or by someone who's profits were being affected by legally bought and safer drugs (less likely to be mixed with rat poison etc.)?

Not sure, wasnt me so i dont know the motive. I would say the first scenario is more likely though round Armagh.

samin10 wrote:There WAS one of these shops in Armagh town (same guy owned one in Dungannon). I was told that a product which was registered as plant food was being sold but was supposed to have the same effect as strong cocaine. The shop was called Legal Highs, but it stayed open to 4am on a Sunday morning. Cant see too many people wanting plant food at that time. Anyway to cut a long story short he was dragged out of a house party about a month a go in Armagh and kneecapped.

Plant food is how they sell the m-cat drug. Because it's sold as plant food (it can be used as plant food) any dealer has the perfect legal loophole if they are caught dealing it.

"I was just selling this 'ere lad with the trackies and stolen bike some food for his flower bed officer..."

Disgrace. I liked the taste of liquid ecstacy. Back to the tablets now.

They're not good news for anyone. It can't be safe running one of them because the local "business" men's profit will be cut and they'll want that stopped. It would also attract a lot of users around the area which can increase crime but it wouldn't do drug users any good because although the substances would be purer than the stuff you'd get on the street it would just encourage them to take more because it isn't legal. Good that it's taking money away from the dealers though.

Why have they become so prominent in recent months? As Rua said they have been around for years and in the last few months they have been springing up in small rural towns?

Jonsmith wrote:Why have they become so prominent in recent months? As Rua said they have been around for years and in the last few months they have been springing up in small rural towns?

Many people weren't aware there were Drug shops set up around the place. The reason it has come to such prominence recently is due to the fact that there are so many opening up now. 3 were opened in Castlebar over the last few months, and people are shocked to learn there are these kinds of things operating in their community.

bald eagle wrote:Think i was in one of those in Thailand.........must be the same with a name like that. Except for the drugs though, none of them there.

If you build it they will come

Ruanua wrote:

bald eagle wrote:Think i was in one of those in Thailand.........must be the same with a name like that. Except for the drugs though, none of them there.

If you build it they will come

was that pun intended Rua

bocerty wrote:

Ruanua wrote:

bald eagle wrote:Think i was in one of those in Thailand.........must be the same with a name like that. Except for the drugs though, none of them there.

If you build it they will come

was that pun intended Rua

Given rua's history of posting here and elsewhere I'd say it's safe to asume it was!

Should be closed down now. My missus goes to one most Saturdays.Costing a bloody fortune

Real Kerry Fan wrote:Should be closed down now. My missus goes to one most Saturdays.Costing a bloody fortune

yeah up all night drinking

black&white wrote:

bocerty wrote:

Ruanua wrote:

bald eagle wrote:Think i was in one of those in Thailand.........must be the same with a name like that. Except for the drugs though, none of them there.

If you build it they will come

was that pun intended Rua

Given rua's history of posting here and elsewhere I'd say it's safe to asume it was!

what has posting anywhere else to do with it

Nothing at all wrong with these retail outlets....providing employment in times of recession.. paying big rents to hard pressed property moguls...a lock of in-house stimulants for bonsai trees are a necessity in every household.........
All this negativity coming cos' some oul' wan beyond in Strokestown phoned Whineline ..óchone agus óchone..

Drugs destroy everything it touchs

mullins wrote:Drugs destroy everything it touchs

No credit for advances in medical science so mullins????? Many's the good mixture of Solpaedine and Motillium that cured an dodgy morning after too many

How many are alive today who would be long dead but for proper diagnosis and correct drug administration....??

I can't believe the uproar about this while Ann Summers and other like minded shops continue to operate unchecked!

Jayo Cluxton wrote:I can't believe the uproar about this while Ann Summers and other like minded shops continue to operate unchecked!

jayo you live in Dublin surely you see the destruction drugs costs our citizens

In truth I have absolutely NO time for drugs. None. I would be very right wing in my solutions to this scourge which has plagued us for over 30 years now ... and unfortunately the problem is now countrywide .....