A “legal high” which left four Bradford schoolboys in hospital is set to be banned in a Government drugs crackdown.

West Yorkshire Police’s drugs co-ordinator yesterday revealed that four teenage schoolboys from Bradford needed hospital treatment after becoming ill from smoking the legal high Black Mamba.

His revelation came as Crime Prevention Minister Jeremy Browne announced that Black Mamba, a cannabis imitation smoking substance, is to become a class B drug after Government advisors found it posed dangerous risks to health.

A second high, Methoxetamine or ‘Mexxy’, which was linked to two deaths in Leicester and Melton Mowbray earlier this year, will also be declared a class B drug under the plans.

The date when the substances will be made illegal is not yet known, but users will face a fine and up to five years in prison, while suppliers could be jailed for up to 14 years.

Bryan Dent, West Yorkshire Police's drugs co-coordinator, welcomed the decision to criminalise the legal highs and warned people taking both substances are “taking serious risks with their lives”.

“Often no-one is really sure what is contained in those substances, and what effect, including long-term, the substances will have.

“What is of concern is that in recent months we have had a number of occasions where young people have been hospitalised after smoking Black Mamba and we know Methoxetamine can make people aggressive and violent and alters their mental state.”

Mr Dent said four Bradford schoolboys, aged between 14 and 16, had to be taken to hospital after becoming unwell and drowsy when they smoked the high. The incident took place as they went to school. They were treated at hospital but not kept in.

Mr Dent added: “It just highlights our concerns about it. Just because something is legal now, doesn’t make it safe.”

Earlier this year, police warned people not to take methoxetamine, which is sold as an alternative to ketamine, after the bodies of a 59-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man were found in Leicester and Melton Mowbray on two separate days in February.

In April, it became the first drug to be banned temporarily under new Government powers while the ACMD considered whether to make the ban permanent.

Mr Dent said a number of people were happy to sell both legal highs to anyone, including young school children.

“We have direct evidence that young people are buying these substances from shops and the internet, consuming the products and making themselves really ill.

“Shops which continue selling these type of substances after they become illegal, or should people be found in possession of these type of drugs, they will be prosecuted.

“We hope that the Government announcement and my message will help to protect individuals from harm caused by these drugs and make West Yorkshire a safer community to be in.”

Jon Royle, chief executive of the Bridge drugs project in Bradford, welcomed the fact that dangerous drugs were to be made illegal.

He said: “It’s going to protect young people. Having said that, it’s not going to have much effect on unscrupulous companies exploiting legislation that enables them to create the next generation of legal highs.

“We need stronger legislation, or we are going to continue to see dangerous drugs temporarily on the market.”

Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council executive member for children’s services, said he had not been aware of the incident involving the Bradford schoolboys, but believed schoolchildren should be warned about the “potentially lethal consequences” of legal highs.

“Making them illegal won’t stop people taking them, but we have got to raise awareness, speak to young people about these substances and educate them,” he added.

“You can’t just tackle this by raising the penalty. Raising the penalty may impact upon the supply chain, but it’s a constant battle because the manufacturers of these substances are one step ahead of the game and creating new substances.

“I think the key thing here is to talk about it with young people so they are aware of the potentially lethal consequences.”

A shop in Bradford city centre is openly selling Black Mamba alongside everyday purchases such as cigarettes and Lotto tickets.

Drug is still on sale in city

When the Telegraph & Argus went into Barkers yesterday afternoon, it took less than 30 seconds to buy the “legal high” that is set to be banned by the Government.

We bought one gram of Black Mamba Max for £8. It was stored on view behind the counter under the cigarettes. It is also displayed in the window of the Sunbridge Road store which also sells items such as samurai swords and survival knives.

Shop owner Parvas Abbas was unaware the Government were planning on banning the cannabis imitation smoking substance.

But if it becomes illegal, Mr Abbas insisted he would have no hesitation taking it off his shelves.

He said: “It is legal at the moment. When it becomes illegal, then absolutely we will stop selling it.

“If it was illegal now, we would not be selling it.

“We have been here 22 years, we are not going to start selling anything illegal.”