§ Mr. Wareingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which drugs and barbiturates will be covered by his proposal to legislate against drug abuse; and if he will indicate whom he has consulted on the matter.
§ Mr. MellorAn Order in Council approved by this House on 19 June and made on 25 June will come into force on 1 January 1985 and will extend the controls of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to the following substances: alfentanil, eticyclidine, rolicyclidine, tenocyclidine, 5,5 disubstituted barbituric acids and methylphenobarbitone, mecloqualone and diethylpropion. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and the professional and trade associations were consulted on the proposals to control these substances.
Those same bodies are also being consulted about a further extension of controls to enable the United Kingdom to ratify the United Nations convention on psychotropic substances 1971.
My right hon. and learned Friend also intends to introduce legislation to combat drug trafficking by raising 440W to life imprisonment the maximum penalty for trafficking in class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine (but not barbiturates, which from 1 January 1985 will be class B drugs); and, taking account of the recommendations of and comments on the Hodgson report, by depriving criminals, including drug traffickers of the proceeds of their crimes.