Legal highs ban: New law won't stop me, says Wolverhampton user

The words of Andy Joyce, who describes himself as a 'long-time' Mamba addict who smokes at least one gram a day of the now banned substance.

The 46-year-old from Wolverhampton said his habit costs him £10 a day and told us that the legal highs ban will have little impact on his consumption of the substance.

"It's likely that when I can't get Mamba I will buy cannabis instead," he said.

• MORE: New law comes into force with seven-year sentence for offenders

• MORE: Dealers buy up drugs like 'hot cakes'

"But weed is more expensive, which is why a lot of people like me started smoking legal highs in the first place. It is a massive mistake to ban it.

"You look at when they have banned drugs in the past. Has it stopped people taking them? They might as well have just made it legal and regulated it properly.

"By making it illegal they have done a fantastic job of promoting it. A lot of people need a break from reality on a weekend. You might have a beer, whatever gives you a buzz.

"But all the talk about legal highs has really promoted them.

"A lot more people know about them now they are banned."

Speaking outside Head-Quartez in Bilston, Mr Joyce said he travelled from his home in All Saints to the shop everyday because they stopped selling the legal high in Wolverhampton.

Dressed in combat gear, he waited outside the shop before greeting the sales assistant like a friend when she returned from a 10 minute break.

He now believes people who have purchased the legal high in stock will be looking to make money by selling it on the black market.

He said: "There will be a bigger market now. they will, instead of selling weed they build up a mass stock of mamba and when it goes illegal they will sell it that way and then they will make money.

"They buy it cheaper with 1,000 packets before the ban and then sell them each on for a tenner."