A DISABLED cannabis user who has lost the first stage of a landmark legal battle against his prosecution for growing the drug has criticised the government's plans to ban so-called “legal highs.”

Edwin Stratton, of Leyton High Road, was charged with producing cannabis after plants were discovered at his flat following a fire.

Mr Stratton insists that Waltham Forest Magistrates Court's application of the Misuse of Drugs Act is discriminatory because other drugs, such as cigarettes and alcohol, are legal, but his application to a the high court for a judicial review has been refused.

The Home Office this week announced that two drugs known as BZL and GBL, as well as a cannabis-like herbal mixture called Spice, will be banned.

The so-called “party drugs” would carry a prison term of up to two years for possession and 14 years for dealing.

Mr Stratton fears prohibition will push the drugs underground, making them more dangerous.

The former rock drummer, who has previously taken GBL to tackle insomnia, said: “GBL can be lethal when mixed with alcohol.

“But prohibition will just make it more difficult for people to get the necessary safety information and will mean doses are less controlled.”

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "Legal highs are an emerging threat, particularly to young people, and we have a duty to educate them about the dangers.

“There is a perception that many of the so-called legal highs are harmless, however in some cases people can be ingesting dangerous industrial fluids or smoking chemicals that can be even more harmful than cannabis."