A GOVERNMENT adviser has welcomed a ban on “legal high” mind altering drugs, but has warned they may still be available on the Internet.

In August the Oxford Mail revealed the Government was planning to ban several so-called “legal highs” – drugs created to avoid breaking the law so they can be sold in high-street shops.

The Home Office ban on man-made cannabis substitute Spice, agricultural worming ingredient BZP and party drug GBL came into force tomorrow, following recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Oxford University professor Les Iversen, who sits on the cluncil, said: “The danger with these substances is that the user does not really know what they are taking or how much. These are not like neatly packaged prescription drugs, but usually a powder or herbal mixture with no indication of how powerful it is.

“It will still be very difficult to do anything about legal highs in the case of the internet.”

The ban has been drafted to prevent similar chemical alternatives slipping through legal loopholes.