Yahoo Finance Synthetic Cannabis 'Devastating' Prisons
Synthetic cannabis is having a "devastating" effect in UK jails, contributing to deaths, self-harm and serious illness, the chief inspector of prisons has said.
The man-made drug, often known as Spice or Black Mamba, mimics the effects of cannabis but is produced in illegal labs from a cocktail of chemicals and can be dozens of times stronger.
Jails are "awash" with the substance, according to the Prison Officers Association (POA), with reports of stashes of the drug being dropped by drone or thrown over walls, and prison officers attacked by high inmates.
Peter Clarke, chief inspector of prisons, said violence and bullying are increasing as addicted inmates get into debt with dealers.
It is "getting worse, not better", Mr Clarke told the Guardian.
"Prison staff have told me that the effect on individuals and prisons as a whole is unlike anything they have seen before."
A 2015 study by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found 19 deaths over two years where new psychoactive substances (NPS) - or so-called legal highs - were a "relevant factor".
Cases included prisoners falling ill or taking their own life after taking the drugs, with some mixing them with other illegal substances of prescription medication.
The drug is often odourless, making it hard for sniffer dogs to detect.
"NPS is having a devastating impact in some of our prisons, more severe than we have seen with other drugs," said Mr Clarke - who wants new strategies to cut supply and treat addicted inmates.
"Their presence in prisons has given rise to debt, bullying and violence. They are destabilising some prisons, making it difficult for normal prison life to continue."
Steve Gillan, head of the Prison Officers Association, told the Guardian "prisoners are so out of their heads they don't know what they are doing sometimes".
"They are a danger to themselves, they're attacking staff, and they are attacking other prisoners," he added.
The POA accuses the Prison Service of not taking the problem seriously enough and failing in its duty of care towards staff and prisoners - a claim it denies.
"Governors use sniffer dogs, cell searches and mandatory drugs tests to find drugs in prison and punish those responsible," said a Prison Service statement.
"We have also legislated to make smuggling new psychoactive substances into prison illegal and those caught trying to throw packages over prison walls can now face up to two years in jail.
"However, we must do more, which is why we are investing £1.3bn to transform the prison estate, to better support rehabilitation and tackle bullying, violence and drugs."
Some synthetic cannabis types have been classified as Class B drugs, only for producers to alter the chemical make-up to keep them legal.
The new Psychoactive Substances Act - slated to come in in the coming months - aims to stop this by banning substances that produce a "psychoactive effect" which alters a person’s "mental functioning or emotional state".
