36. Mrs. Slaterasked the Minister of Health on what grounds he has decided that the drug about which the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North has written to him does not come within the terms of Part II of the Therapeutic Substances Act, 1956.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI am advised that, on present information, it is not considered to be a substance which is capable of causing danger to the health of the community if used without proper safeguards.
Mrs. SlaterIs the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware—I think he is—that I initiated these inquiries about twelve months ago on the advice of the doctor of one of my constituents who, because of the effects this drug had had on my constituent, considered it to be dangerous if sold on the open market?
Is he further aware of the evidence from Sweden that the drug can be a killer and that, although I have never publicly disclosed the name of the drug or of the doctor, the manufacturers of the drug have gone to great lengths to persuade and threaten the doctor concerned not to make further representations? Does that not look as though they were afraid that the drug had something in it which might be dangerous to the public and that they did not want it to be controlled?
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI think the hon. Lady appreciates the difficulty that the Therapeutic Substances Act. 1956, controls only those drugs which can be a danger to the community and that drugs which may be dangerous to an individual do not come within the jurisdiction of the Act. Therefore, it would not be possible, I am advised, to deal with this matter under that Act.