§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Scientific Committee of the European Monitoring Centre on Drug and Drug Addiction to complete its formal risk assessment of the drug gammahydroxybutyrate. [122584]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeFurther to my replies to my hon. Friend on 10 May 2000,Official Report, column 405W, and to my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon (Ms Drown) on 24 January 2000, Official Report, column 95W, I can report that the European Union Horizontal Drugs Working Group considered a report on gammahydroxybutyrate (GHB) from the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addition (EMCDDA) at its meeting on 12 April.
371WThe decision was taken at that meeting to refer GHB to the Scientific Committee of EMCDDA for a formal risk assessment under the Joint Action adopted by the Council of the European Union regarding the information exchange, risk assessment and control of new synthetic drugs. The risk assessment is expected to be completed by early to mid October.