A new study has found a reduction in the use of so-called "head shop" drugs among young people following the introduction of legislation to ban the sale and supply of such substances in 2010.
The study, carried out by researchers at Trinity College, and published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, focused on two groups of adolescents attending a youth drug treatment service in Dublin.
This research looked at 94 cases, mainly teenage boys with an average age of 17.
The first group of young people attended the drug treatment service immediately before legislation on head shop drugs took effect in 2010.
The second group attended in the same calendar period the year after the ban was introduced.
The percentage of problematic users of these drugs dropped from 34% in the first group to zero per cent in the second group.
The numbers who had used these substances in the previous three months also dropped from 82% to 28%.
The study found the legislation did not result in increased use of other drugs like cocaine and amphetamines by these young people.
Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Bobby Smyth, who led the research, said while the study could not prove the closure of head shops had led to the reduction in the use of these drugs the magnitude of the fall and its timing were very striking.
He said media campaigns and increasing awareness of harms associated with head shop drugs may also have contributed to the reduction.
