Trading Standards Seize Legal High

An illegal product has been seized from two Carmarthenshire businesses, and another business has voluntarily surrendered it, as part of a Trading Standards crack down on so-called ‘legal highs’.

Officers seized the product ‘Amsterdam Gold’, also labelled as ‘Liquid Gold’, after finding it contravened the General Products Safety Regulations 2005 and The Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2009.

The businesses found selling the product cannot be identified pending possible prosecution.

Samples of other substances bought from a number of Carmarthenshire businesses by Trading Standards in test purchases are currently undergoing chemical analysis to determine whether they can be legally sold.

Traders have been asked to cease selling any similar products until their safety can be confirmed.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Trading Standards Manager Roger Edmunds said: “We are working proactively to seize illegal products from businesses, and to advise businesses about the sale of so-called legal highs.

“As the name suggests, many of these products can be legally sold, however that does not mean they are safe. We are concerned about several products currently on sale in Carmarthenshire and are running analysis on these products to determine whether they are fit for sale.

“We will take every action possible to ensure the safety of the public, and appeal to traders to think about whether they are acting morally in retailing these products, regardless of whether they are acting within the law.”

Trading Standards have confirmed they are working with the Home Office to bring about changes in the law which will allow them to take more products off the shelf.

Cllr Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for public protection, said: “Our hands are tied behind our backs in some cases, where the law does not allow us to take the kind of action we’d like to get these products off the shelf. However, we want to assure people that we are doing all we can.”