A LIBERAL Democrat attempt to block an immediate ban on so-called ‘legal highs’ was defeated yesterday, amid fierce criticism.

Lord Paddick, a former London police chief who liberalised cannabis laws, attacked the Government’s plans to outlaw synthetic drugs as doomed to backfire.

It comes after The Daily Echo previously launched the Say No to Legal Highs campaign which has been calling for tougher laws, for vendors and sellers to be held to account, and tighter controls to stop vulnerable youngsters from being able to buy the products over the counter.

The Lib Dem peer demanded a delay until “an independent, evidence-based review of existing laws is carried out” – a process expected to take about 18 months.

And he said: “These new psychoactive substances - or legal highs - only exist because our current approach to drugs is failing. Instead of tackling the danger of these new drugs, this Bill is likely to make things worse.

"When I was a police officer, I realised that locking up drug users is simply not the answer.

“We have to learn the lessons of why our current approach is failing before we make the same mistakes with new psychoactive substances as we have done with other illegal drugs.”

Daily Echo: Adam Hunt died after taking legal highs

The bid to ban the legal highs follows the deaths of young people in Hampshire including schoolboy Adam Hunt, (above) from Millbrook in Southampton, died in hospital in August, 2013 - five days after falling seriously ill after taking AMT and etizolam.

Daily Echo: Doug Ferguson

Trainee doctor Doug Ferguson, 19, (pictured above) from Chandler's Ford, died after taking AMT in June 2012, while married father William Nutter, 32, from Andover, died after consuming AMT the following month.

Ireland’s blanket ban on psychoactive substances had backfired and its Government was now rethinking the legislation, the debate was told.

And ministers were warned that banning sales from High Street ‘head shops’ would drive legal highs underground and put users in far greater danger.

But - with Labour also pledged to ban the sale and distribution of legal highs – Lord Paddick’s amendment was easily defeated, with a Government majority of 218.

Lord Bates, a Conservative Home Office minister, said 120 deaths were linked to legal highs in 2013 and that ministers could not stand by and let young people come to harm.

Passage of the Psychoactive Substances Bill would deliver success for the Daily Echo’s Say No to Legal Highs campaign.

It would prevent manufacturers exploiting legal loopholes to get around previous bans, by making tiny changes to the composition of drugs, imposing seven-year jail terms.