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News Archives: Index

October 7, 2010: Probation Set For Industrial Action

October 5, 2010: Turning Prisoners Into Taxpayers

October 4, 2010: Murder Changes Now In Force

September 20, 2010: Probation Programmes Face Cuts

August 24, 2010: Victorian Poor Law Records Online

August 10, 2010: Justice Job Cuts

July 28, 2010: Prison Violence Growing

July 22, 2010: Police Numbers: Latest Figures

July 22, 2010: New Jurisdiction Rules

July 16, 2010: CCJS On Prison And Probation Spending Under Labour

July 15, 2010: Latest Statistics On Violent And Sexual Crime

July 15, 2010: Latest National Crime Figures

July 15, 2010: New Chief Prisons Inspector

July 14, 2010: Hard Times Ahead For Prisons: Anne Owers

July 14, 2010: Prison Does Not Work: Ken Clarke

July 13, 2010: Criminal Justice Reform: Sentencing and Rehabilitation

July 13, 2010: Criminal Justice Reform Priorities

July 12, 2010: What Price Public Protection, Asks Probation Chief Inspector

July 12, 2010: NOMS has failed, says Napo

July 10, 2010: IPCC To Investigate Death of Raoul Moat

July 9, 2010: Women In Prison: New Report

July 9, 2009: Unjust Deserts: Imprisonment for Public Protection

July 8, 2010: Police Search Powers Change

July 7, 2010: Make 'Legal High' Illegal, Says ACMD

July 2, 2010: Failing Children In Prison

July 2, 2010: Police Buried Under a Blizzard of Guidance: HMIC

July 1, 2010: Freedom To Change The Law?

June 30, 2010: A New Outlook On Penal Reform?

June 30, 2010: Revolving Door Of Offending Must Stop, Says Clarke

June 30, 2010: Ken Clarke: Speech on Criminal Justice Reform

June 29, 2010: No More Police Targets

June 26, 2010: Family Intervention Projects Questioned

June 25, 2010: Cutting Criminal Justice

June 24, 2010: Napo on Sex Offenders Report

June 23, 2010: Closing Courts: The Cuts Begin

June 23, 2010: Strategy To Tackle Gangs

June 15, 2010: Courts and Mentally Disordered Offenders

June 8, 2010: Working With Muslims in Prison

June 1, 2010: Your Chance To Nominate a QC

July 7, 2010: Make 'Legal High' Illegal, Says ACMD

A recommendation has been made to the government to make a 'leagl high' illegal. The chemical naphyrone (and related compounds), marketed as the 'legal high' NRG-1, should be made a Class B drug, says the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) in its report 'Consideration of the napthylpyrovalerone analogues and related compounds', just published, to the government.

The ACMD is also calling on the Home Secretary to implement an immediate import ban on naphyrone.

The ACMD was established under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It is the duty of the ACMD to keep drugs misuse, in the United Kingdom, under review and to advise the Government on measures for preventing misuse and social problems arising from it.

The review into naphyrone and related compounds is part of the ongoing work the ACMD are conducting on the legal high market and follows advice already made to government and the subsequent bans on mephedrone (and related cathinones), SPICE, GBL and BZP.

ACMD interim Chair Professor Les Iversen said:

 'Naphyrone is a drug with the potential to cause real harm due to its potency and associated health effects.Users of 'legal highs' should be aware that just because a substance is being advertised as legal does not make it safe, nor may it be legal. 
'Test purchasing has demonstrated that what you think you are buying is often not what is in the packet. The harms and effects of your purchase may be different and/or greater than you expect.'

Naphyrone has a close resemblance to other cathinones.  The report shows that due to its potency this drug has considerable potential for abuse and also accidental overdose. The predicted harms of this chemical include adverse effects on the heart and blood vessels, hyperthermia, dependence and psychiatric effects.

While compiling the report the ACMD took evidence on test purchasing undertaken by Liverpool John Moores University and Tic Tac Communications which showed that many products being sold as NRG-1 are often mislabelled and often contain other illegal chemicals.

The ACMD's recommendations including the following:

  • Given the significant health risks associated with 'legal highs' a concerted public health and education campaign is required to highlight the inconsistencies in these products; the variable potency and risk of overdose.
  • That an import ban is invoked with immediate effect to target the manufacturer and supply of naphyrone, and related compounds.
  • That naphyrone be brought under control of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in Class B and under Schedule I of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (2003) by way of a generic definition. Based on the evidence in the report, the ACMD consider that the harms associated with naphyrone closely equate with compounds such as mephedrone and other compounds in Class B.