A Maidstone woman is raising awareness of the dangers of legal highs after her nephew suffered the side effects of one.

The 15-year-old was with friends in the town’s Brenchley Gardens last Friday when he was allegedly handed a quantity of ‘sweet leaf’ – believed to be a form of synthetic cannabis – by an adult.

He smoked a portion of the substance before falling unconscious in the Station Road grounds. Paramedics were called and transferred him to Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury.

His aunt, Gemma Halladay, said: “I am aware there’s drinking and drugs going on but I would like Maidstone to be aware of this substance.

"Youngsters are easily influenced and to be handed it by an adult is extremely worrying. I know he is an idiot for smoking it, but I want to warn others of the dangers” - Gemma Halladay

"Youngsters are easily influenced and to be handed it by an adult is extremely worrying. I know he is an idiot for smoking it, but I want to warn others of the dangers.”

Miss Halladay was also told the reaction could have been far more severe had her nephew taken his ADHD medication that day.

She says she reported the incident to police, but as the substance was taken willingly, they could not intervene.

She added: “Police would have taken this seriously if it had been an illegal drug given by an adult to a child. Why is not the same with legal highs?”

She has now started a petition in a bid to encourage police to consider legal highs as seriously as other drugs.

A police spokesman said officers are working closely with licensed premises in Maidstone to prevent the sale of legal and illegal substances.

They added: "Currently, possession of a new psychoactive substance (NPS), often referred to as a legal high, is not an arrestable offence. However, officers do have powers to confiscate NPS in public places.

"Over the past year we have been working hard with our partners to prevent any businesses from selling NPS in Kent and recent inspections have shown that the vast majority are now complying.

"The visibility of NPS from shops and retailers is therefore now greatly reduced and this can only lower the risk of harm to the residents of Kent, particularly the young and vulnerable.

"It is important to remember that just because people have been able to previously buy something legally, this does not always mean that it was necessarily safe for human consumption.

"No one knows precisely what is contained in each packet and it is simply never worth the risk in consuming any NPS. The consequences could be fatal."

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