– Life along the Slaney

Head Shop

The issue of head shops seems to be pervading the media this week. From Prime Time to the front of the Enniscorthy Echo, the issue of unregulated shops selling synthetic products which mimic the effects of illegal drugs.

The message that legal does not mean safe is one the HSE are striving to get across and Susan Barnes, a County Wexford Drugs Education officer, has been flat-out spreading the word about the products available and the effects of such ‘legal highs’.

Susan has been invited to address a number of parent’s groups in and around Enniscorthy in recent weeks as parents realise what is exactly on their doorstep.

Enniscorthy is to get it’s third Head Shop in coming weeks. Along with Up in Smoke and House of Tinkicker, the new shop will offer a range of products to the public whose effects are like, and in some cases worse, than illegal drugs.

While the owner of Up in Smoke has said he has a strict over-18 policy, this has been proven to be not fully upheld. However this over-18 policy is a self-imposed regulation as the area is completely unregulated by the Irish government.

Whatever the legal aspects of this issue, another major issue raised by the recent proliferation of these shops in Enniscorthy and Wexford in general, is that there is a huge market out there for these products.

As Anto, the owner of Up in Smoke said if there wasn’t a market there we wouldn’t be in business. Think about it. How many people would use cocaine if they didn’t have to find a dealer to buy it? If they didn’t have to worry about being caught by the gardai?

Obviously a lot of people. While teenagers are obviously intrigued by these head shops, they are not the people who will be sustaining their businesses. It is adults with disposable income who will be the life-blood of these shops.

Adults looking for a bit of an escape without the worry of getting caught are taking advantage of this loop-hole in the law and using these unregulated, untested, unknown products without, it seems, worrying about the consequences.

While the government obviously needs to get their act together and pass some laws in this area, as a society we need to ask ourselves why these shops are flourishing and take responsibility for using these products and giving the younger members of society a bad example.