In considering the drugs to be included in Part 1 of Schedule 2, the Secretary of State must have regard to the addictive, or non-addictive properties of the stereoisomeric forms of any of the substances or drugs included in the Schedule at any time.—[Mr. Ogden.]
§ Brought up, and read the First time.
§ Mr. OgdenI beg to move, That the Clause be read a Second time.
This is a technical Clause, a narrow Clause, in the words of the Parliamentary draftsman, and the purpose of putting it 576 down is to provide an opportunity for the Minister to give certain assurances. I have no intention of pressing the Clause to a Division.
I was provided with some information, indirectly, by Professor Arnold H. Beckett, to whom reference was made earlier by my hon. Friend the Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell), who is Head of the Department of Pharmacy at the University of London. He drew my attention to Schedule 2, and particularly to Class A and Class B drugs.
The information that he gave me, if I can use layman's terms, is that different forms of certain drugs are identical in substance but, because of their molecular structure, it is possible for one form of the drug to be addictive, and another form of it to be non-addictive, and in some parts of Classes A and B addictive forms of drugs are included, but in other parts addictive or non-addictive forms of the same drugs are not included.
It is as though there were right and left hand gloves. They are the same shape, but they are opposite to each other in form. It is like looking at oneself in a mirror. The real object might be addictive, the image may be non-addictive. Alternatively, the substance can have a negative charge of electricity which makes it addictive, or a positive charge which makes it non-addictive. In form the substances are identical, but to be technical, the molecular construction makes a difference whether the substance is addictive or non-addictive.
I ask the Minister to assure us that when he compiles these lists he will bear in mind the fact that a different stereoisomeric form of a substance may make it addictive or non-addictive, and it will not simply be included because it is in that form.
§ Mr. SharplesI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for translating the Amendment into simple terms which the layman can understand. I admit that it had originally caused me some difficulty and that I was not looking forward even to pronouncing some of the names on the piece of paper that had been handed to me. I willingly give the hon. Gentleman the assurance for which he asks; that is, that the two forms, addictive and non-addictive, should be recognised in the compilation of Schedule 2.
§ Motion and Clause, by leave, withdrawn.