Classification of cannabis and ecstasy in the UK

doi:10.1136/bmj.b731

Published 20 February 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b731
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b731

Editorials

Classification of cannabis and ecstasy in the UK

The government’s decisions compromise its commitment toevidence based policy

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In the United Kingdom medicinal drugs and treatments are regulatedthrough the 1968 Medicines Act and illegal drugs through the1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. The Misuse of Drugs Act defines controlledsubstances on the basis of their potential harm, taking no accountof benefits that users might claim. The distinction betweenmedicines and illicit drugs is, of course, not sharp, and manyvaluable medicines (including Ritalin, GBH ( ${gamma}$ hydroxybutyrate),tranquillisers, and analgesics) turn into dangerous killerswhen they escape on to the streets.

The Misuse of Drugs Act established the Advisory Council onthe Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) "to keep under review the situationin the United Kingdom with respect to drugs which are beingor appear to them likely to be misused and of which the misuseis having or appears to them capable of having harmful effectssufficient to constitute a social problem." The council currentlyhas . . . [Full text of this article]

Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience

¹ Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU

colin.blakemore@clneuro.ox.ac.uk

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