CHILDREN as young as 12 are gambling with their mental health by experimenting with legal highs, according to a city doctor.

Youngsters can develop paranoia and drug-induced psychoses from taking the substances, with often terrifying physical consequences too.

Richard Stevenson, an A&E consultant at Glasgow's Western Infirmary, warned the physical and mental health effects of the drugs are "much more profound" in young people than older users.

Mr Stevenson said children as young as 12 are being seen in Glasgow's hospitals every week having fallen ill after taking legal highs.

He said: "We are seeing this every week in A&E, throughout Glasgow.

"Every other week we see someone who is really poisoned, who made need intensive care level treatment.

"It is really worrying, especially when it's young people.

"On top of this they can develop mental health problems as well - drug-induced psychoses, abnormal behaviours, not attending their work or school because of hangover effects, and they are becoming addicted to these substances.

"They really do have an effect on your mental health. Whether it is paranoia, or a drug induced psychosis.

"People have jumped out of windows to try and escape people and get injured that way.

"Some people hallucinate - I've seen people with their arms in ribbons as they thought spiders were crawling in their veins and they were trying to get them out.

"With psychosis, especially in a young person's brain with that developing personality, that's when they are most sensitive to the effects of these drugs.

"It has much more of a profound effect on young people."

The consultant was speaking to more than 100 children yesterday at the launch of an interactive video warning of the dangers of legal highs.

The video, created by Glasgow-based PACE theatre for the Choices for Life programme, will be available to all secondary schools in Scotland.

Devised by Police Scotland's Safer Communities team and Young Scot, viewers get the chance to make decisions for the film's main character in scenarios involving the deadly substances.

Police Scotland's National Drugs Co-ordinator, Detective Inspector Michael Miller also spoke to children during the event yesterday.

He said the force is spending more time tackling the issues surrounding legal highs, and added: "It horrifies me that young people willingly take a substance without knowing what it contains or the effects it will gave.

"We're aware that young people as young as 12,13 and 14 are taking these substances with some taking unwell and being hospitalised.

"Officers are coming across incidents of anti-social behaviour, street robberies and intravenous drug use on the back of taking NPS (new psychoactive substances), in addition to the significant health risks they pose and their potential to destroy families and friendships."

Detective Inspector Miller also said many people think the drugs are safe as they are described as 'legal' but said: "The film aims to separate the fact from the fiction and provide young people with information which helps them make healthy and informed choices."