---

Home Office

Answer

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the classification of GHB. [139195] Mr. Charles Clarke: Gammahydroxbutyrate (GHB) is not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It is regarded as an unlicensed medicinal product under the provisions of the Medicines Act 1968. The Medicines Control Agency investigates reports of the unlawful manufacture, advertising, sale and supply of GHB in the United Kingdom and has brought a number of successful prosecutions in the last few years. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has considered whether GHB should be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act on a number of occasions, most recently on 16 November 2000. On each occasion ACMD has concluded, based on the available information about its misuse, that control of GHB under the Misuse of Drugs Act is not appropriate. But the Council has asked for further information to be gathered with a view to reviewing this decision at its next meeting on 31 May 2001. Separately, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has completed a risk assessment on GHB. The European Commission presented its draft recommendations on this risk assessment to the European Union Horizontal Drugs Group (HDG) of officials on 22 November. HDG will consider the matter further at its next meeting on 19 December. In addition, the World Health Organisation has recommended that GHB should be scheduled under Schedule IV of the United Nations (UN) Convention of Psychotropic Substances 1971. This recommendation will be considered at the meeting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March 2001.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

357 c681W;357 c680-1W; 139195

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Crime Drugs Misuse Rape Gamma hydroxybutyrate

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk