WIREDGOV

The increasing availability and potential harm of legal highs are one of the key priorities of the ACMD as set out in their annual report published today.

The annual report also looks at the work of the council between April 2008 and March 2009. Within this period the ACMD undertook numerous reviews and gave advice on classification of; cannabis, MDMA (ecstasy), GBL, BZP and 24 various steroids.

The government accepted the council’s recommendations to bring GBL, BZP and 24 various steroids under control within the Misuse of Drugs Act. These reviews also contained numerous recommendations on research and health protection measures.

Professor David Nutt, Chair of the ACMD, said:

“One of our key priorities for the coming year will be investigating the increasing threat of legal highs. We have already started this work and recently gave the government advice on the synthetic cannabinoids known as SPICE.

“The annual report shows the wide range of work the council has looked at relating to various drugs and the harms they cause. In the vast majority of these occasions the government has committed to implementing the recommendations we made.

“It is important that we remain at the forefront of managing these emerging trends and the harms of substance misuse. We need to get across that some of these legal highs pose a real danger. By looking at the evidence to see the harms caused by the various chemical compounds that make up these legal highs we will be able to give advice to the government on a scientific basis, allowing them to legislate and remain ahead of the game.”

Correspondence published in the annual report show the agreed priorities the ACMD and the Home Office recently agreed on, including;

• giving advice to the Home Secretary in the summer of 2009 on synthetic cannabis know as SPICE;

• looking at the chemical compounds of legal highs and their effects;

• trends and effects of poly drug users; and

• enhancing the drug early warning mechanisms used to detect possible drugs that cause harms.

Notes to Editors

1. The annual report can be found at: http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs-laws/acmd/reports-research/

2. The ACMD is a Non-Departmental Public Body established in 1971 by the Misuse of Drugs Act. The ACMD provides independent expert advice to ministers on drug misuse - primarily to the Home Office, but also to other Government Departments.

3. The ACMD’s membership consists of experts from a wide range of professions. The ACMD is chaired by Professor David Nutt. Other members include experts in: pharmacology, psychiatry, public health, GPs, senior police officers, substance misuse and mental health.

For more information about the membership and terms of reference: http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs-laws/acmd/about-us

For further information please contact Nick Logan on 020 7035 3535

Contacts:

Home Office Press Office
Phone: 020 7035 3535
NDS.HO@coi.gsi.gov.uk