NEW LAWS TRY TO STOP GROWTH OF DRUG CULTURE

But Legislation Is Not Enough. All Agencies Must Be Given More Resources
And Join The Fight

The net is widening in the fight against drug misuse. On February 1 new
laws took effect which will bring more drugs under strict legal controls
and criminalise unauthorised possession of common tranquillisers such as
Mogadon.

In the first change, some 36 new Ecstasy-type substances have been placed
under the control of the Misuse of Drugs Act; all but one have now been
included alongside drugs such as such as raw opium and LSD, substances that
have no medicinal uses and cannot be prescribed. Why the term a
oeEcstasy-typea substances rather than Ecstasy? The reason is that these
new drugs do not come from the same generic chemical group as the more
well-known forms of Ecstasy although they share the same basic
characteristics. Each of the 36 has therefore been individually named in
the new legislation.

Under a second change, most of the well-known tranquillisers known as the
benzodiazepines are brought within the criminal law. These include diazepam
(Valium), chlordiazepoxide (Librium) and nitrazepam (Mogadon). For many
years they have been widely used to treat mild anxiety and sleep disorders,
but from February 1 unauthorised possession of these drugs has been
criminalised. They are also now subject to much tighter import and export
controls.

Any patient possessing a prescribed benzodiazepine drug intending to go
abroad with it may have to apply to the Home Office for a personal export
licence depending on how long they are likely to remain outside the
country. Other substances have been placed under the same controls a "
including pemoline, a mild stimulant of the central nervous system.

The changes are only the first in the stepping up of the drugs war. Other
moves are likely in the near future. The most controversial is the proposed
downgrading of cannabis resin from a Class B controlled drug to Class C.
This would make it unlawful to possess cannabis for recreational purposes
although the maximum sentences for its general misuse will be lower than at
present.

But will cannabis be available on prescription? Any legitimate medical use
of the drug would have to be in the form of a medicinal product. Doctors
would not be able to prescribe a oejointsa . Instead, a tried and tested
medicinal product would have to be approved by the Medicines Control Agency
under the Medicines Act 1968, a process that can take many months. Already
clinical trials are in progress.

There will also be wider laws concerning persons who turn a blind eye to
drug offences on premises. The existing law prohibits the smoking of
cannabis or prepared opium on premises but not the smoking or injecting of
heroin or the sniffing of cocaine; nor does it include the smoking of crack
cocaine. A new catch-all provision has now been inserted into the Misuse of
Drugs Act which will fill these gaps once put into effect.

The net will be cast even wider following a recommendation that GHB
(gammahydroxybutyrate) be made a Class C controlled drug. This has been
used medicinally as a pre-operation sedative and is under the control of
the Medicines Act. This means possession of this drug is no offence
although there are restrictions on its unauthorised manufacture and
distribution. Despite this, it has been reported that it can be bought over
the Internet or from sex shops and is frequently used as a party drug.

Although some users claim it has similar effects to Ecstasy, it also
produces similar feelings to alcohol; there is particular concern about its
use as a date-rape drug.

Our anti-drug laws are changing at an increasing rate. This is essential if
the fight against addiction and the other social problems of drug misuse is
to continue. But the disturbing growth in the drug culture of this country
cannot be tackled by laws alone: they must be backed by all agencies
involved which, in turn, should be given sufficient resources for the
purpose. The price, though, is one we must afford if the rising tide of
drug misuse is not to become a flood.