Written question asked by Greg Knight (Conservative) on Tuesday, 30 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 April 2010. It was answered by Alan Campbell (Labour) on Thursday, 8 April 2010 on behalf of the Home Office.

Drugs: Misuse

Question: (2) when officials in his Department were first made aware of the risks arising from the use of mephedrone as a drug;

Answer: Pursuant to the previous Home Secretary's commission of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to provide advice on so called "legal highs" in March 2009 and following its advice on synthetic cannabinoids, and cathinone derivatives, the ACMD are now considering its next priority area from a range that includes but is not limited to plants such as Kava kava and Salvia divinorum, solvents and gases, miscellaneous stimulants and hallucinogens, and fungi.Home Office officials first became aware of the use of mephedrone as a drug following unconfirmed presentations to Accident and Emergency units during the Isle of Wight music festival in late July 2009.The draft order to control mephedrone and other cathinone derivatives currently before Parliament will enshrine in law a generic definition encompassing a wide range of cathinone derivatives, including methylone and butylone.

Secondary information