What are the UK drug laws?
Stop press: The Psychoactive Substances Act received Royal Assent on 28 January 2016 and applies across the UK. It is expected to come into force on 6 April 2016. The act makes it an offence to...
View ArticleHow are the UK’s drug laws enforced?
There are a number of UK legislative controls to restrict the supply and use of drugs in the UK. The following agencies are responsible for enforcing them. Enforcement agencies Serious Organised Crime...
View ArticleWhat are the penalties for possessing or supplying drugs?
The penalties for possession and supply depend on the class the drug belongs to. The maximum penalties under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) are as follows: Drug class Possession Supply Class A 7 years +...
View ArticleDrug laws
There are two main statutes regulating the availability of drugs in the UK: the Misuse of Drugs Act, and the Medicines Act. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 This act is intended to prevent the non-medical...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Heroin and other opiates
Boy, brown, china white, dragon, gear, H, horse, junk, skag, smack, Diamorphine, morphine, methadone, opium, codeine, pethidine, dihydrocodeine (DF118), palfium, Diconal, Temgesic, physeptone What is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Magic mushrooms
What are Magic Mushrooms? These are hallucinogenic mushrooms that grow wild in many parts of the world and the UK in autumn. The main type used is the liberty cap (Psilocybe semilanceata) but fly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nitrites
Please note that the information on this page (and other DrugSearch pages) is being updated What are Nitrites? Amyl, butyl, hardware, liquid gold, locker room, poppers, ram, rock hard, rush, snapper,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Solvents
Please note that the information on this page (and other DrugSearch pages) is being updated What are Solvents? Some organic – that is, carbon based – compounds can produce effects similar to alcohol or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tobacco
Please note that the information on this page (and other DrugSearch pages) is being updated What is tobacco? Tobacco is the dried leaves of the plant that grow in many parts of the world. The main...
View ArticleBenzodiazepines
Please note that the information on this page (and other DrugSearch pages) is being updated What are Benzodiazepines? Benzodiazepines are the most commonly prescribed minor tranquilisers, known as...
View ArticleDruglink article 1986 – Trends in drug enforcement by Jane Goodsir
Many whose jobs involve defending the welfare of drug using clients have feared the crack down on ‘pushers’ will trickle down the scale to drug users. Release’s recent survey of solicitors indicates...
View ArticleDruglink article 1987 – Fit to be patents? by Lyn Perry
The Law Lords’ precedent-setting decision preventing a Reading addict regaining custody of her child has dismayed many who work closely with drug users. Lyn Perry explains the decision and its...
View ArticleDruglink article 1987 – Dilemmas in youth work by Nicholas Dorn and Christine...
Drug use by young people is most often encountered outside rather than inside schools, where it is the youth work side of the education service that has to directly confront the difficult legal and...
View ArticleDruglink article 1988 – Hogg set to ban steroids
Against the advice of the ACMD it now appears certain that the government will control steroids under the Misuse of Drugs Act as soon as the details can be worked out… Hogg set to ban steroids...
View ArticleDruglink article 1988 – Going for the money by Jane Goodsir
The Drug Trafficking Offences Act in practice. As the first cases under the Drug Trafficking Offences Act come to court, it’s becoming clear that a wide circle of the defendant’s contacts may be...
View ArticleDruglink article 1988 – A problem of cooperation by Tim Rathbone
A leading backbench spokesman on drug policy says cooperation – between drug agencies and between agencies and government is the key to tackling drug problems. A problem of cooperation (PDF)Read more →
View ArticleDruglink article 1989 – MDMA in perspective – The speed trip by Harry Shapiro
1988 was the summer of louts and love. The louts drank lager; fun and love came in tablets of MDMA – Ecstasy. Reality and fantasy mixed in a crescendo of press reports about MDMA and Acid house music....
View ArticleDruglink article 1990 – Prohibition: the Chinese experience by Richard Newman
Imperial China’s drug war battled uphill against powerful traffickers and booming demand – with familiar results. Opium problems in nineteenth century China have been cited as illustrative of the evils...
View ArticleDruglink article 1991 – Powers of arrest for cannabis by Geoff Monaghan
After over ten years, the law on cannabis is once again under review – but from the police point of view, a ‘parking ticket’ approach could have major repercussions. Powers of arrest for cannabis...
View ArticleDruglink article 1991 – Harm reduction and the under-16s by Jane Goodsir
Judicial decisions on underage contraception can help negotiate the legal minefield of harm reduction work with juveniles. Harm reduction and the under-16s (PDF)Read more →
View Article