202211201938
Status:
Tags: Pharmacology Policy
United Kingdom Drug Policy
- Two key pieces of legislation
- 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act — brought UK inline with the UN drug control conventions + consolidated previous drug laws going back to 1920.
- Criminalizes the possession, supply, production, import/export of drugs
- Makes it an offence for an occupant to allow their premises be used for production or supply offences, and a specific offense for cannabis or opium — this policy has been used to prevent the establishment of overdose prevention centers.
- 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act
- Criminalizes the production and sale of any substance which is capable of producing a psychoactive effect.
- Such a broad, sweeping law that they had to introduce an exemption list (alcohol, nicotine)
- Criminalizes the production and sale of any substance which is capable of producing a psychoactive effect.
- 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act — brought UK inline with the UN drug control conventions + consolidated previous drug laws going back to 1920.
- Drugs are classified as Class A, B, or C, according to an assessment of their relative harms
- Class A — cocaine, heroin, MDMA, LSD, morphine
- Class B — cannabis, codeine, barbiturates, amph, ketamine
- Class C — benzodiazepines, gabapentin, khat, pregabalin, anabolic steroids
- Law enforcement
- MDA — stop & search policy (racist!)