ACS has welcomed assurances from Home Office Minister Lord Bates that clear guidance will be provided on the detail of how the Psychoactive Substances Bill will affect retailers.
The Bill, introduced in this year’s Queen’s Speech, aims to ban the sale of psychoactive substances (otherwise known as legal highs) but there is currently a wide ranging definition of what constitutes psychoactive substances.
Before the second reading of the Bill, ACS briefed members of the House on retailer’s concerns about the lack of clarity of the regulations. During the debate, Baroness Hamwee noted that “the Association of Convenience Stores has understandably asked for guidance in this area” while Lord Bates, Home Office Spokesperson in the House of Lords said: “We are also ready to work with other bodies, such as the Association of Convenience Stores, to provide bespoke guidance for their members.”
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We believe that the banning of legal highs is a positive step, but these products must be clearly defined and retailers provided with comprehensive guidance so that they do not fall foul of the regulations. We welcome Lord Bates’ comments and will work closely with the Home Office to ensure that convenience stores are provided with the necessary guidance to comply with the regulations, but will continue to press for more action to be taken to tackle the manufacture and supply of these products.”
ACS has also called for the development of guidance to fall within the scope of Primary Authority. For more information about current Assured Advice guides, go to www.acs.org.uk/advice
