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Misuse of Drugs (Reclassification of Methylamphetamine)

I beg to move,"That leave be given to bring in a Bill to reclassify methylamphetamine as a category A drug." This is yet another sad tale of a failing Home Office. This time, it is failing to protect people from the misuse of crystal meth, which is seriously bad news for individuals who use it and for society at large. The widely respected New York police chief, Anthony Izzo, told the Select Committee on Science and Technology:"““Crystal meth makes crack cocaine look like a Hershey Bar.””" He bases his view on hard evidence and experience. UK Sky TV news coverage showed the drug’s impact on individuals and called for Government action before use of this nasty drug becomes endemic. But the Home Office says that it is not yet very prevalent in the UK and that, in effect, they will reclassify when a greater number of people have been damaged and communities are suffering more serious consequences. That is hardly the precautionary approach that the public deserve. It is hardly the action of a Government who care about their young people or want to minimise the impact of drug abuse on society. Methylamphetamine is one of a group of psychostimulant drugs called amphetamines that act on the brain and nervous system. It is produced in tablet, powder or crystalline form. It is taken orally, snorted or injected, but unlike amphetamine, it can be smoked. The term ““crystal meth”” is often used for the purer crystalline form. The drug’s street names include ““yaba”” for tablet form, ““ice””, ““glass””, ““Tina””, ““Christine”” and ““Nazi crank””. It was first developed in 1919 and used by troops to keep awake. It was rumoured that Hitler injected it twice a day, hence the name ““Nazi crank””. The chances of getting hooked are incredible compared with other illicit drugs. Psychological and physical dependence happens quickly. It affects the brain reward pathways. Users must take more to achieve the same effects, as tolerance quickly builds up. Using the drug by intravenous injection or smoking is especially likely to cause addiction. Smoking the purer, crystalline form produces an intense rush, similar to that of crack cocaine, but much longer lasting—not only minutes but four to 12 hours. That is highly reinforcing and becomes highly addictive. The higher potency, especially when smoked, makes the drug a greater threat. It is, all too often, a one-drag-and-you’re-hooked drug. The drug’s effects are appalling. They include agitation, paranoia, confusion and violence, usually against innocent bystanders. It damages more than those who take it. It can bring on feelings of exhilaration and produces increased arousal and activity levels. It causes a rapid rise in heart rate and blood pressure, and the higher the dose, the greater the effects. The risks are enormous. Methylamphetamine-induced psychosis has been widely reported in countries where use has become endemic. High dosages lead to strokes and pulmonary, renal and gastrointestinal disorders. Coma and death can and do follow. It is a much more serious drug than the class A ecstasy that killed Leah Betts in Essex a decade ago. Yet the Government appear to have learned nothing from that tragic wake-up call. Methylamphetamine is often injected, with sharing of paraphernalia and all the consequences of infection. The drug also increases libido and risky sexual behaviour, thereby increasing blood-borne virus transmission. Home Office research shows that the drug is especially used by the homosexual community. It is disastrous for that group to reduce sexual inhibitions or undertake ever more risky behaviour. Methylamphetamine is currently a class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. That historical classification results from the drug’s chemical association with amphetamines, which were all classified B. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which reports to and advises the Government on the classification of drugs, is as dysfunctional as the Home Office. It meets just twice a year with a quorum of only seven, but comprises 38 people, some of whom are caring, knowledgeable, professional and sensible. However, too many represent a neo-liberal, politically correct rag-bag, who appear to make decisions without excessive reference to the evidence and the consequences. James Randerson, science correspondent for The Guardian, reported on 24 April that Professor Rawlins, chairman of ACMD"““blew the gaff on government claims that its drug policy is ‘evidence based’.””" The classification for illegal drugs is riddled with anomalies and simply does not work. That is echoed by the Science and Technology Committee’s research, which found:"““Drugs are not classified on the basis of… the harm they cause.””" Indeed, they are not classified according to any consistent set of criteria. On 1 March, The Times home correspondent, Richard Ford, ran the headline:"““Lax laws ‘could turn Nazi crank into global epidemic’””." The article stated:"““A new highly addictive drug used in Britain by clubbers and gay men is becoming a global problem, according to a United Nations report.""The huge increase in crystal meth is helped by lax restrictions on the chemicals used to manufacture it. People who take it can experience a ten-hour high and increased sexual arousal.""Professor Hamid Ghodse, president of the United Nations’ drug control agency, said:""‘If I want to pick on one major drug problem pandemic today, it is methamphetamine’.””" Yet, last year, the ACMD recommended that it remained a class B drug. Professor Nutt, a distinguished psychopharmacologist and chairman of the ACMD’s technical committee, told the Science and Technology Committee that upping the classification could have the perverse effect of making the drug more desirable and thus stimulate demand. He argued that downgrading mushrooms might stimulate demand and that upgrading crystal meth would have the same effect. That is perverse and muddled thinking. I sometime wonder whether the ACMD is personally testing the products when making decisions. A shift up the scale could well give a drug more kudos, as Professor Nutt suggests. However, that undermines one of the key tenets of the United Kingdom’s drug laws, which is that the more dangerous drugs should be placed in higher, not lower, categories because of the greater risks attached to them. The ACMD seems totally unimpressed by the principles of UK law, by international experience, or by the evidence base. Methylamphetamine can be produced in small domestic laboratories from non-controlled precursors. I will not go into details about those precursors today, as it would not be helpful. I have asked the Home Secretary to control those precursors, but he has not done so. The ACMD recommended close monitoring of the drug’s use, but this is difficult because the extent of the drug’s use in Britain is, in the words of the president of the UN narcotics control board,"““hidden because seizures were included in figures for amphetamines””." The Home Office confirmed that, stating:"““The British Crime Survey does not differentiate between methylamphetamine use and amphetamines””." I respectfully maintain that the Government are failing to control the drug’s precursors and not effectively monitoring its usage. That is unsustainable. The Home Secretary said that he would publish a consultation paper on a review of the drug classification system. He has not yet done so, although he promised this on, I think, 19 January this year. So I call on the new Home Secretary to bring forward that review urgently, and to change the drug classification system to a more consistent and rational one. The Government should take a precautionary approach and immediately reclassify methylamphetamine as a class A drug, so that we can save individuals and society from its terrible consequences.