Press Release

Concern Over Nirvana Headshop Coming to Cork

Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan O'Brien today expressed concern over the opening of yet another so-called "Headshop", with Nirvana opening on Oliver Plunkett Street.

Cllr O'Brien stated: "There has been a incredible proliferation of these shops recently, with up to half a dozen now operating across the city. So-called "Head Shops" are causing huge concern for parents and people who work in the field of drugs. Products are being dishonestly marketed and packaged as something they are not. A whole range of products for sale in these shops are in fact clever substitutes for cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis. The packaging entices young people to buy the products for personal use yet the small print says they are not for human consumption.

Products sold as bath salts have street names such as ‘Hurricane Charlie’ or ‘Snow’ but are in fact cocaine substitutes. Ecstasy tablets in capsule form are sold as plant food and cannabis substitutes are sold as ‘Herb’ and ‘Spice’. One of the real dangers is that nobody knows the effect of these products. Labs in China and Eastern Europe are constantly producing new versions of these products which are completely untested. The chemical composition of most of these products is unknown. We simply do not know what is in them. This potentially makes them as dangerous as the drugs being sold on the streets.

There is particular concern about the Nirvana Headshop after reports that its outlet in Dublin was selling products to young people coming out of clubs at 3 and 4 in the morning. A Dublin outlet of this chain was also recently burnt out in suspicious circumstances. We do not welcome this chain coming to Cork.

I intend to raise the issue of the proliferation of "Head Shops" in Cork at the next meeting of the Joint Policing Committee. However the ultimate solution lies in national regulation. The government needs to frame legislation which will prevent these shops getting around the law by coming up with new chemical substitutes for drugs. As well as a ban on individual products, there needs to be robust guidelines as to how these products are packaged, marketed and sold.

For further information or comment contact Jonathan O'Brien @ 086-0662877