The cynical exploitation of loopholes in the law to profiteer from the creation of substances that produce so-called “legal highs” has been allowed to go on for far too long.

So the new moves by the Government to effectively ban the cannabis imitation smoking “herb” called Black Mamba and the chemical Methoxetamine, or “Mexxy,” by dubbing them as Class B drugs is welcome, if overdue.

The people who make money from the misery – and even death – caused by the taking of such drugs manage to stay just the right side of the law by the way they produce and market them.

So there can be little doubt that they will continue to try to find ways around the law by developing new, dangerous substances which will stay off the banned list until the authorities crack down on them – and until they have made a good deal more money in the interim.

These people are nothing short of evil: they don’t care who they hurt and they actively target children in the way they tempt them to experiment with potential lethal drugs by promoting them as “legal” and suggesting that smoking or taking them is a pleasurable experience designed to give users a “high.”

The new tougher sentences for users and suppliers are a step in the right direction bu the authorities need to find a way to react much more quickly to the emergence of new products and to hit the manufacturers fast and hard at source – before more young people put their lives at risk.