'˜There's more trouble caused with alcohol'

Peter Stanley, who runs Gypsy Kings in Market Way, Portsmouth, and Market Parade, in Havant. He had a £25,000-a-week turnover.

He was yesterday selling the drugs at a discount price and stayed open until late at night to try and clear his entire stock.

Speaking to The News Peter said: ‘We’ve only sold it because it was legal, if it wasn’t legal we wouldn’t have sold it.’

He said customers in the past have been NHS workers, ferry port workers, lorry drivers and members of the armed forces.

But he said: ‘Ninety-nine per cent of people who come into our shop have a can of Special Brew or a bottle of vodka, nobody’s asking “what about the alcohol?”

‘The police have more trouble caused with alcohol.

‘I’m afraid that might be a bad attitude but that’s the way I think about it.

‘Prohibition doesn’t work, this whole industry of legal highs is only there because people can’t get good quality class A drugs.

‘A lot of them want to smoke weed properly but they can’t because of the problems that causes them, problems with their jobs.’

Asked about the dangers with the drugs and their links to multiple deaths he said: ‘I can sleep well, I’ve got no problem – it’s horses for courses.’

Michael Lane, Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner has said more needs to be done to educate people about the dangers.