Lib Dem Norman Baker was quoted by the Times as
suggesting such outlets could be treated like sex shops with their windows
blacked out and under-18s barred to show they weren't "harmless".
Home Office sources said his comments had been taken out of
context.
Mr Baker told BBC News he would not comment further on the
issue.
The latest official UK figures show 68 deaths were linked to
legal highs in 2012, up from 10 in 2009.
The government has imposed bans on more than 250 substances,
officially known as "new psychoactive substances", which are marketed
at young people and presented in bright packaging.
What are legal highs?
·
Substances that
produce similar effects to illegal drugs (such as cocaine and ecstasy) but are
not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
·
This is because there
is not enough research about them to base a decision on.
·
They cannot be sold
for human consumption, but are often sold as bath salts or plant food to get
round the law
·
Most fall into one of
three categories: stimulants, sedatives or hallucinogens
The Times said Mr Baker - who chaired a summit on the issue on
Thursday - had suggested that licensing was one way of controlling the
proliferation of "head shops".
The outlets, of which there are hundreds in the UK, sell
"legal highs" as well as New Age herbs, "party powders" and
smoking-related paraphernalia.
"Rather than giving the impression that they are harmless,
we need to consider whether or not there are messages and ways of dealing with
those," the newspaper reported him as saying.
"We should maybe look at licensing them like sex shops with
blacked-out windows and not allowing under-18s in."
'Not
safe'
But the Home Office issued a statement on Friday, saying it had
"no intention of regulating or licensing 'legal highs'"
"On the contrary, we are working to consider how current
legislation can be toughened to combat this dangerous trade and ensure those
involved in breaking the law are brought to justice," said a spokesman.
“Start Quote
Drugs are illegal because they are harmful and
often deadly”
Home Office
"Drugs are illegal because they are harmful and often
deadly."
When asked about the Times report by BBC News on Friday, Mr
Baker said he had no further comment to make and referred to the Home Office
statement.
Home Office guidance issued to councils in December stated that
head shops describing themselves as licensed could be prosecuted under consumer
protection laws.
Speaking at Thursday's meeting, Mr Baker said it was "not
acceptable" that such substances were readily available, even reportedly
being sold from ice cream vans outside schools.
People buying the hallucinogenic drugs did not know what was in
them, he added, making them particularly dangerous, but there was "no
simple solution" to the problem.
"Some of these substances are very dangerous and can and do
lead to deaths," he said.
"The way they're marketed and presented suggests to people
that they are legal and safe. But sometimes they are not legal and they are
certainly not safe."
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