A Fraserburgh woman will highlight the dangers of legal highs today – by sharing the harrowing experiences of a family member as they battled their addition.
Lindsay Schuitema will take the hard-hitting message to a local secondary school as part of the Fraserburgh Community Safety Group’s effort to raise awareness of the dangers posed by substances.
Mrs Schuitema will tell her own story of how a family member became addicted to substances, and as a result, how relationships were strained.
Last night Mrs Schuitema said she hoped her story would help get the message across, and urged parents to be aware and keep an eye on their children.
“There was nothing the doctors could do because they don’t know what they’ve taken. And there’s nothing the police can do because it’s a legal high. I’ve seen the extremes of it,” she said.
A similar talk, including a question and answer session, will also be held tonight at the town’s community centre for concerned parents from 6.30pm.
Local councillor Brian Topping, who is also chairman of the safety group, said: “Certainly, I would encourage anyone and everyone to come along. It is an awareness raising effort.
“We have drugs and alcohol teams from NHS Grampian and Police Scotland coming along, too.
“I think it’s really vital and very important. People think they’re legal and they’re safe, but that is turning out not be the case.
They can be dangerous and can cause serious harm.
“We really want young people, parents and guardians to know about the dangers of them.”