| Misuse Of Drugs Act 1971 |
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| united kingdom acts of parliament 1971 | |
| british misuse of drugs act | |
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The Act is presented often as if little more than a list of proscribed drugs and of penalties linked to their possession and supply. In practice however the Act establishes the Home Secretary as a key player in a drug Licensing system. Therefore, for example, various Opiate s are available legally as prescription-only Controlled Drug medicines and Cannabis ( Hemp ) may be grown under licence for 'industrial purposes'. The Act creates three classes of "controlled substances", and ranges of penalties for illegal or unlicensed "possession" and "possession with intent to supply" are graded differently within each class. The lists of substances within each class can be amended "by Order" , so the Home Secretary can list new drugs and upgrade, downgrade or delist previously-controlled drugs with less of the bureaucracy and delay associated with passing an Act through both Houses of Parliament . The Act does not cover all drugs or drug-like substances. Although, for example, cannabis is listed under the Act (as a ''class C'' drug), Tobacco , another Herb or Plant source of drug material, is not listed. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION The Act provides for cooperation with other nations in implementing drug control Treaties . Specifically, the Act makes it a crime to assist in, incite, or induce, the commission of an offense, outside the UK, against another nation's "corresponding law" on drugs. A "corresponding law" is defined as another country's law "providing for the control and regulation in that country of the production, supply, use, export and import of drugs and other substances in accordance with the provisions of the Single Convention On Narcotic Drugs " or another drug control treaty to which the UK and the other country are parties. An example might be lending money to a U.S. drug dealer for the purpose of violating the Controlled Substances Act . HISTORY OF DRUGS POLICY IN THE UK The Drugs (Prevention Of Misuse) Act 1964 controlled Amphetamines in the UK in advance of international agreements and was later used to control LSD . Before 1971, the UK had a relatively liberal drugs policy and it was not until U.S. influence had been brought to bear — particularly in United Nations circles — that drugs use was generally criminalised. Before the passage of the Act, it was possible for Heroin addicts to be prescribed enough of the drug to manage their addiction without being forced to buy from the Black Market , for example. Supporters of the newer drugs policy tend to believe that criminalising both drug use and possession is the best way to handle the social problems caused by drugs, whereas opponents tend to suggest that criminalising users and Dealer s alike is counterproductive and detrimental to the health of users. PENALTIES The penalties for drug offences depend on the class of drug involved. Class A drugs are deemed to be the most dangerous and attract the highest penalty. The maximum penalties possible are as follows: CLASS A DRUGS
CLASS B DRUGS
Note that preparing a class B drug for injection makes it a Class A drug. CLASS C DRUGS
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