A woman who has been campaigning tirelessly for a ban on legal highs after her son died within hours of taking synthetic cannabis has welcomed a new law banning the substances - even though it is too late for her beloved son.

In October 2013, Jimmy Guichard was found lying unconscious at his Gravesend home after a heart attack.

The 20-year-old was taken to hospital but suffered severe brain damage and his mother Karen Audino had to make the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support machine.

An empty plastic wallet was lying next to him when he was found. A post-mortem examination found synthetic cannabis in his system and it is believed he purchased it from Skunkworks UK in Chatham High Street.

Since that discovery, Mrs Audino began a campaign to get these untested substances banned.

This week, The Queen announced the government’s plans at the state opening of Parliament.

Among them was the Psychoactive Substances Bill, which has been published today.

It comes after the KM Group launched its own High Time campaign to help stamp out the substances.

The law creates a blanket ban on these new drugs to “prohibit and disrupt the production, distribution, sale and supply of new psychoactive substances”. The maximum sentence will be seven years.

On hearing the news Mrs Audino said: “We have been working hard for the last 18 months to get a ban in place on these products, so the announcement was very welcomed indeed.

“As much as it doesn’t bring Jimmy back or take our pain away, it does mean other families won’t go through this needless grief.

“What has also come out of our campaign is a great deal of awareness around these products, whereas before legal meant safe to people, though the media and education we have shown it to be a different story.”

The Centre For Social Justice found there were 97 deaths caused by legal highs in 2012.

Under the Bill, police will have the power to seize and destroy new psychoactive substances, to search people, homes and vehicles for them, and to use a search warrant if necessary.

Chatham MP Tracey Crouch said: “This has been a result of a long campaign across the Medway Towns, the government has clearly listened to the strong message put out there about the danger of legal highs.

“For Jimmy’s family this is a huge step forward. They should be banned and treated as any other drug.

"I’d like to really congratulate the work of Jimmy’s family which was borne out of real tragedy when he took a substance that perhaps he thought was safe.”

The ban could see the closure of around 250 head shops in the country and Ms Crouch added: “Head shops were already under threat and I think this will ultimately lead to the end of them across our High Streets in the county.

“Many parents and friends of those who may have used legal highs in the past will now breathe a sigh of relief.”

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