A NEW campaign has been launched to warn teenagers of the dangers of using legal highs, with a message that ‘Just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean it’s safe.’

New psychoactive substances (NPS) are drugs made to copy the effects of illegal drugs and, to support their new Key Stage Three lesson ‘New and Nasty’, the All-Wales School Liaison Core Programme are launching a series of posters highlighting the dangers of using New Psychoactive Substances.

Six new posters will be released on the SchoolBeat social media accounts to raise awareness of the dangers of new psychoactive substances, with messages including:

• You can’t be sure if it’s legal – it may contain illegal drugs  

• You don’t know what you are taking 

• You have no idea what the effects will be  

• You have no idea what is in a New Psychoactive Substance  

• You can’t be certain it’s safe to take  

• You don’t know how your body will react to a New Psychoactive Substance

Wales’ Deputy Health Minister, Vaughan Gething said: “I’m very pleased to support this new awareness campaign. We take the issue of people taking NPS – so-called legal highs – very seriously. We’re supporting a range of initiatives to raise awareness, including DAN 24/7, our bilingual substance misuse helpline.

“We have ensured that the All-Wales Schools Liaison Core Programme, which operates in all primary and secondary schools across Wales, is regularly updated to include specific lessons about new psychoactive substances because of their potential impact on children and young people.

“I have been supportive of the UK Government’s proposal to introduce a blanket ban on new psychoactive substances. However, banning these substances will not work in isolation -  we have introduced a number of actions to educate, raise awareness and improve our ability to respond to the emergence of new psychoactive substances.”

The new posters are supported and funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Ian Johnston.?Mr Johnston said: “I hope these posters will play an important role in raising awareness about the dangers of substance abuse amongst school children and young people. We want fewer victims of crime and to protect people from serious harm and this is why I supported and provided funding for this project.”

National Coordinator for the All-Wales School Liaison Core Programme, Faith McCready said: “We hope the campaign will raise awareness of the risks associated with NPS usage. Each poster presents a key message in an innovative way and has been designed to make young people think about the possible consequences of taking these unregulated substances. We feel it is vital that young people are given accurate information so they can make informed choices.”

During the week, School Community Police Officers will be delivering the lesson ‘New and Nasty’ to students across Wales to raise awareness of NPS and the awareness campaign.