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UK: Government resists call for drug classification changes
The Guardian On-Line
Friday 13 Oct 2006 The government is to keep the existing method of classifying illegal drugs into classes A, B and C, the Home Office announced today in response to a parliamentary report that called for the system to be scrapped. The Commons all-party Science and Technology committee report on drugs classifications, published at the end of July, said the current system for controlled drugs was "clearly not fit for purpose". But in a document published today - titled Drug Classification: Making a Hash of it? - ministers rejected this argument. "The government believes that the classification system discharges its function fully and effectively and has stood the test of time," it said. "The current three-tier classification system allows for clear and meaningful distinctions to be made between drugs. Its familiarity and brand recognition amongst stakeholders and the public is not to be dismissed. "There is a wide understanding that Class A drugs are the most dangerous substances, and therefore carry the heaviest criminal penalties, whilst Class C drugs, although still harmful, are not of the same order." Earlier today it was announced that crystal methamphetamine, a particularly potent variety of amphetamine, will be reclassified as a Class A drug from the current Class B. When smoked, the drug, sometimes known as "ice", produces a very intense rush similar to crack cocaine, and can quickly become highly addictive. It is relatively easy to synthesise in illegal laboratories and is particularly common in south-east Asia, notably Thailand. The Commons committee had said that a new scale for drugs classification should be devised that rated substances purely on the basis of health and social risks rather than potential punishments. Alcohol and tobacco should also be included in the ratings to give the public a "better sense of the relative harms involved". But today's government response argued that the existing system gave the public an accurate measure of the relative risks of various controlled drugs. "The harms caused to the individual and to society are the predominant and defining factors in the classification of any drug," it said. "As a consequence, it is the government's position that, far from implication, but by its design, the current classification system goes far in establishing a ranking of harms. "This is then greatly complemented by a substantial body of evidence that informs and further distinguishes the specific harms of individual drugs." In a separate document published today, following consultation with the police, drugs groups and others, the Home Office announced that there would be no change to the threshold for the amount of drugs that can be carried, without being charged with dealing. The consultation process showed that there are "difficulties in establishing prescribed amounts [of drugs] which are universally applicable and appropriate" in determining whether someone is a dealer, the report noted, saying that there are other variable factors, such as drug purity. Overall, there was no need for change, although the amounts would be kept under review. Last November, the Home Office publicly floated plans to set a "500-spliff" limit for a personal stash of cannabis, as well as thresholds for other drugs. In June, a leaked document suggested the plans would be significantly tightened up, slashing the limits to as little as one hundredth of the original level. http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,1922018,00.html
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