Written question asked by Ashok Kumar (Labour) on Wednesday, 7 December 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 December 2005. It was answered by Paul Goggins (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 December 2005 on behalf of the Home Office.

Crystal Meth

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the (a) use of and (b) supply of and the risks for recreational drug users from crystal meth.

Answer: The use and supply of methylamphetamine in the United Kingdom is estimated to be very low based on the number and size of seizures. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published a report on methylamphetamine on 17 November 2005; they recognised the potentially serious harms of taking methylamphetamine to the individual but the overall risk to users remained low given the very limited prevalence. The ACMD also recommended the development of an early warning system centred on ensuring those agencies collecting data on illicit drugs make the distinction between amphetamine and methylamphetamine when recording data. The ACMD recommended the closer monitoring of certain sub groups such as clubbers who are more likely to use methylamphetamine and agreed the subject of methylamphetamine should be a standing agenda item at the ACMD Technical Committee. It was also recommended action should be taken to impose tighter controls on methylamphetamine's precursors to prevent the spread of its misuse. The Government have accepted all the ACMD's recommendations. The ACMD undertook to provide an update to its advice in 12 month's time.

Secondary information