WITH recorded sales in 21 of the 27 EU states, it is clear that Spice is a product that has found a ready market in people keen to get high without breaking the law.

Sold mainly through the internet, the Chinese-manufactured herbal extract has become such a concern that the Home Secretary commissioned an investigation into its dangers.

The report that resulted should concern any parent or user of so-called legal highs.

Sold in 3g sachets over the internet for as little as £20, it is marketed as an ‘exotic herbal incense blend that really works’. However, any delusions that this ‘herbal’ wonder is somehow a natural product are quickly disabused by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

The truth is that, somewhere in Shanghai or Beijing, unknown quantities of a synthetic cannabinoid are being sprayed onto a plant-based mix to give it potency.

Worryingly, many of these cannabinoids were developed in labs by companies such as Pfizer in the 1970s and 1980s. The drug companies were looking for a medical use but abandoned their experiments when it proved impossible to avoid the unwanted psychoactive effects.

The detailed pharmacology of synthetic cannabis is yet to be fully understood.

What is clear is that anyone buying this product is taking a dangerous leap into the unknown. Batches vary wildly in strength and some of the synthetic cannabis could have a power far greater than the traditional herb. The potential for overdose, accompanied by paranoia and panic attacks, is high.

Trust in the manufacturers would be foolhardy. Scientists found that many of the listed ingredients simply were not present. Instead there was an attempt to hide the tracks of the cannabinoids.

In that light, it is good to see the UK joining Guernsey in taking such drugs seriously.

Documented evidence of the harmful effects of legal highs is limited by the relative speed at which the products have emerged. However, a rapid ban on both their use and importation is vital to limit the damage.

Guernsey will benefit greatly from the UK’s intervention. The legislation for a full ban will be complicated because the number of such synthetic drugs is vast.

The sooner the island can adopt a UK standard ban, the better.