Drugs (Advisory Council) (Hansard, 17 March 1980)

§ Mr. Raison

The duties of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs are set out in section 1, subsections (2) and (3), of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and its constitution in schedule 1.

The present members are:

Sir Robert Bradlaw, C.B.E.—Chairman—Former President of the British Dental Association
Miss F. Adamson, B.A.—Lecturer in Social Work
Dr. T. H. Bewley, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P.I., F.R.C. Psych—Consultant Psychiatrist
Mr. J. C. Bloomfield, O.B.E., F.P.S., F.B.O.A., J.P.—Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain Mr. A. Bristow—Member of the Health Education Council
Mr. H. E. Carter, M.R.C.V.S.—Veterinary Surgeon
Mr. D. Cox—Tower Hamlets Youth and Community Project
Miss A. H. Dixon—Social Worker
Professor R. Duckworth, M.D., B.D.S., F.D.S., F.R.C. Path—Professor of Oral Medicine
Professor J. Griffith Edwards, M.A., D.M., D.P.M., F.R.C.P.—Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr. W. W. Fulton, O.B.E., F.R.C.G.P.—General Practitioner
Mr. A. Gorst—Director of Social Services
Professor J. D. P. Graham, MD., D.Ss. F.R.C.P. (Edin)., F.R.F.P.S., F.R.S.E.—Professor of Pharmacology
Mrs. A. Jones—Head Teacher
Professor W. I. N. Kessel, M.D., F.R.C.P., (Edin).—Professor of Psychiatry
Dr D. J. King, M.D., M.R.C., Psych—Senior Lecturer in Neuropharmacology.
Rev. E. Lewis, S.R.N., R.M.N., D.M.S.—Area Nurse Specialist.
Dr. B. B. Lloyd, M.A., D.Sc.—Member of Health Education Council.
Professor G. P. McNicol, M.D., Ph. D., F.R.C.P. (London, Edinburgh, Glasgow)—Professor of Medicine
Dr. G. C. Mathers, M.B., B.S., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., D.Obst., R.C.O.G.—General Practitioner.
Mr. P. A. Myers, O.B.E., Q.P.M.—Chief Constable.
Detective Superintendent R. Owen—Commander of Police
Mr. M. J. Power—Senior Research Fellow.
Miss G. M. Rickus, B.A.—Director of Education.
Mr. W. E. C. Robins—Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate.
Mrs. R. Runiman, B.A.—Citizens Advice Bureau.
Dr. B. C. Saunders, C.B.E., M.A., Ph. D., D.Sc., F.R.I.C.—Magdalene College, Cambridge.
Mrs. M. Sharpe, S.R.N., J.P.,—State Registered Nurse.
Mr. J. A. Smith, F.P.S.—Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.
Mr. G. T. Steele, M.A.—Head Teacher.
Mr. D. Turner—Standing Conference on Drug Abuse.
Dr. D. Wild. M.B., Ch.B., D.Obst., R.C.O.G., D.P.H., M.R.C.M., D.M.A.—Area Medical Officer.

For the purpose of fulfilling its remit the advisory council has established a technical sub-committee to consider and make recommendations to the council about the control under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 of any substance which is being or appears likely to be misused and of which the misuse is having or appears to the sub-committee capable of having harmful effects sufficient to constitute a social problem. Also, working groups of the council have been established as necessary to deal with various items; the present working groups are as follows:

i. Working Group on Treatment and Rehabilitation—to undertake a comprehensive review of the treatment and rehabilitation services for the misusers of drugs, and to make recommendations for dealing with both immediate problems and the situation generally.
ii. Working Group on Prevention—to consider measures which should be taken for preventing the misuse of drugs and to make recommendations.
iii. Working Group on Legal and Administration Matters—to examine and review:

(a) matters affecting the law on the control of drug misuse in the United Kingdom;
(b) the collection of data required to facilitate the work of the advisory council; and to make recommendations.

In addition, in order to assist its consideration of the implications for future official policy, the council has called together a working group, consisting of council members and others, to assess the current scientific evidence on the effects of the use of cannabis and cannabis resin.