Latvia, Law and Regulations, Legislation, Markets and Companies

As the police chief pointed out, these outlets are now a thing of the past.

Kuzis said that the police are well aware that the sale of ''legal drugs'' will completely stop after the recent amendments to the Criminal Law came into force, but added that at least police now have the ability to detain and prosecute those selling these illegal substances.

He said that those selling these drugs have now gone ''underground'', trying to sell them from apartments, automobiles and through the Internet.

As reported, in reaction to condemnation from the public for delaying this matter too long, Saeima made an emergency vote last week to introduce criminal accountability for persons selling the so-called ''legal narcotics''.

According to the amendments to the Criminal Law, persons can be held accountable if the products they are selling include substances that have been put on the list of temporarily-banned substances.

The amendments were submitted to parliament by the Saeima Legal Affairs Committee, and were passed in the first and final reading. The new law came into force on Wednesday.

''The new law will allow law-enforcement institutions to react and hold accountable persons who are selling products containing substances which are on the list of temporarily-banned substances, but have yet to be included on the permanent list of banned substances,'' Saeima Legal Affairs Committee member Andrejs Judins (Unity) told LETA.

With the new amendments, persons who have been found guilty of selling these substances can receive a maximum prison sentence of two years.