A bereaved mum has spoken of her relief that the legal high which killed her 20-year-old son, when he was living in Gravesend, has finally been outlawed.

Karen Vandersypen, who now lives in Donegal, has campaigned tirelessly for the British government to introduce a blanket ban to match the Irish legislation.

Jimmy Guichard, who lived in Mackenzie Way, had a heart attack and suffered brain damage after smoking synthetic cannabis, also known as ‘spice’, when he was in Kent caring for his sick dad.

Jimmy smoked the drug, which he had bought from a ‘head’ shop in Chatham, on October 2 2013 – and Ms Vandersypen made the heart-breaking decision to switch off his life-support machine the next day.

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The 45-year-old had made the 18-hour trip to Darent Valley Hospital, knowing that she would have little choice but to pull the plug. The keen sportsman passed away in his mother’s arms.

Ms Vandersypen told News Shopper: “We are delighted to see it has come into play. Ireland has had the ban since 2010.

READ MORE: No-longer-legal highs, everything you need to know about the ban

“I am in touch with a few mums that have lost children through legal highs and we have all said we have paid such a high price to get it.

“We are continuing to campaign, and we are going into Europe.

“We have got an education programme when we let people know the dangers of stuff that’s out there.

“Not just legal highs, but all drugs and solvent abuse, alcohol…

“I really do feel that education is the key for this because if they are young enough and they haven’t been exposed yet, hopefully when they are exposed they will make an informed choice.”

Ms Vandersypen, who is also mum to Samantha, 28, and Katie, 26, spoke of the tragedy of losing a child at such a young age.

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Left to right: Jimmy with mum Karen and sisters Sammii and Katie

She added: “It just leaves a huge void within the family. Losing a member of the family, and at such a young age, and for an invalid reason.

“It means my two daughters are going to spend the rest of their lives without a brother. I am spending the rest of my life without my son.

“My two granddaughters – my eldest she’s eight and she still can’t understand where her uncle has gone.

“My youngest one doesn’t even know who he is, and has missed out on his influence.

“He was very much a family man and he loved children. Jimmy lived here since he was 12.

“He only went back for a month when his dad wasn’t well – to look after him and spend a bit of time with him.”

The Psychoactive Substances Act was introduced last Thursday (May 26) – and offenders could now be jailed for up to seven years for breaking it.

Shops selling the drugs, or paraphernalia linked to taking them, could be shut down and police have new stop-and-search powers, as well as opportunities to seize and destroy drugs.

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is banned under the law – but poppers, a drug commonly used during gay sex, remains legal.