A DANCE drug that caused the death of a medical student will be banned by the end of the year, Home Secretary Alan Johnson said today.

Hester Stewart, 21, died after taking GBL, which is used by clubbers as a substitute for banned drug GHB, known as "liquid ecstasy".

GBL - gamma-butyrolactone - will be placed in Class C, meaning users could be punished with a two-year jail term and dealers up to 14 years.

But Ms Stewart's mother Maryon said it should be placed in Class A alongside heroin and ecstasy. And she criticised delays in bringing in the ban, warning it could mean more deaths.

She said: "I think GBL is every bit as dangerous as heroin and ecstasy, if not more so. Because it's lethal when combined with alcohol it should be a Class A drug.

"We need to review the whole system because right now our kids are incredibly vulnerable and we have let them become so."

She said she had hoped the ban could have been brought in before the start of the summer recess. As it is, Parliament cannot start considering the matter until October 12 when MPs return from their summer break.

She said: "It's not moving as quickly as we would like. It's really disappointing from my point of view because there will be other deaths and other families that have to deal with tragedies."

GBL will be classified along with two other so-called "legal highs", cannabis substitute Spice and BZP, an amphetamine replacement, the Home Office said.

A campaign targeting students and clubbers warning of the dangers of legal highs will be launched to coincide with the start of the university term.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "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.

"Legal highs are an emerging threat, particularly to young people, and we have a duty to educate them about the dangers. That's why we are also launching a campaign in September to highlight the risks."

Mrs Stewart said she was "encouraged" that steps were being taken against legal highs and pledged her support for the campaign.

She said: "Kids do not understand that, as in the case of my daughter she took GBL innocently, combined with alcohol it can be fatal."

Spice, which will be placed in Class B, is made using synthetic chemicals and herbs and sold in so-called "head shops". It has been linked to mood swings and paranoia.

The moves follow recommendations from the Government's drug advisory body, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Ministers will also ban 24 different anabolic steroids.