DrugScope Responds To Advisory Council's Review Of Ecstasy, UK

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 13 Feb 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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DrugScope, the leading independent centre of expertise on drugs and drug policy, has today welcomed publication of the findings from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) review of ecstasy [1] [2].

Based on a review of the social and health harms of ecstasy, the ACMD recommends that the government reclassify the drug from Class A to Class B. The Council also advised that the government revise and widen access to public health messages and guidance on the drug's harms, particularly for young people.

Other key recommendations include:

- Parents, carers, teachers and those working in the criminal justice system should be informed about the risks of ecstasy and how these compare with those of other drugs.
- More research is required into the effects of ecstasy upon the brain.
- More research should be conducted regarding the nature and extent of ecstasy use among young people.

Responding to today's report, DrugScope Chief Executive Martin Barnes said:

"DrugScope welcomes the ACMD's report on ecstasy and we support all its recommendations. It is appropriate that drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act are subject to regular review, in order to ensure that decisions on drugs policy are informed by the latest and best evidence.

"DrugScope supports the ACMD's recommendation that ecstasy be reclassified to Class B. The advice is based on a thorough, objective and independent review of the latest evidence. Previous reviews of drug policy, not least a Home Affairs Select Committee report in 2002, have questioned the classification of ecstasy as a Class A drug. [3]

"The challenge is to ensure that any debate over ecstasy's classification is not perceived - or indeed misrepresented - as indicating that the drug is in any way 'safe'. It is precisely because ecstasy is a harmful drug that it is controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act but evidence shows that its social and health harms are more consistent with drugs controlled under Class B, such as amphetamines.

"Today's report highlights the considerable health risks posed by ecstasy, particularly when used in combination with other drugs. We support the ACMD's call for credible and accurate public health information about ecstasy and its harms. Access to 'Safer Clubbing' guidance is essential - as ecstasy-related deaths are commonly linked to dehydration, overheating and excessive water consumption in clubbing environments, as well as to the direct toxic effects of the drug itself.

"It would be regrettable if we reached a situation where, for political reasons, drugs can only be placed within, or moved up, the classification system, but cannot be moved down regardless of the evidence. It is crucial that decisions on the penalties for the use and supply of controlled drugs should be based on the best available information, otherwise the drug laws themselves lose credibility, especially among young people."

About DrugScope

DrugScope is the national membership organisation for the drugs field and the leading independent centre of expertise on drugs and drug policy. Our aim is to inform policy and reduce drug-related harms - to individuals, families and communities.

For more information visit http://www.drugscope.org.uk

[1] About the ACMD

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is an independent expert body that advises government on drug related issues in the UK. It was established under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, its current chair is Professor David Nutt. The council's membership includes a range of experts in the social and health harms of drugs.

Although the ACMD was set up to advise the government on classification, ministers are not obliged to follow its recommendations and any decision on ecstasy's legal status will ultimately be made by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

More information on the ACMD can be found here.

[2] Information on ecstasy

Ecstasy is an illegally manufactured drug that usually comes in tablet or capsule form and is normally taken orally. The chemical name of pure ecstasy is 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA for short.

More information on ecstasy and its effects can be found here.

[3] Home Affairs Select Committee report on drug policy

In 2002, a Home Affairs Select Committee published a report entitled 'The Government's Drugs Policy: Is it working ?'. One of the report's key recommendations was that ecstasy should be downgraded from Class A to Class B.

The press notice for the report can be viewed here.

The full report can be viewed here.

DrugScope