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The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is an Act of Parliament, by which the United Kingdom aims to control the possession and supply of numerous drugs and drug-like substances, as listed under the Act, and to enable international co-operation against illegal drug trafficking. As passed in 1971 the Act updated UK legislation to bring it in to line with the requirements of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

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 opiates 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 dealers 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:

Offence Court Class A Class B Class C
Possession Magistrates 6 months / £5000 fine 3 months / £2500 fine 3 months / £500 fine
Crown 7 years / unlimited fine 5 years / unlimited fine 2 years / unlimited fine
Supply Magistrates 6 months / £5000 fine 6 months / £5000 fine 3 months / £2000 fine
Crown Life / unlimited fine 14 years / unlimited fine 14 years / unlimited fine

Class A drugs

Class B drugs

Note that preparing a class B drug for injection makes it a Class A drug.

Class C drugs

External links

Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom | 1971 in law | British Misuse of Drugs Act | Drug control law

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Misuse of Drugs Act 1971".

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