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For immediate release News Release 27.02.06 DRUG CLASSIFICATION INQUIRY IN DANGER OF MISSING THE POINT The Science and Technology Select Committee is currently undertaking an inquiry titled ‘ Scientific advice, risk and evidence: How Government handles them’, and is using the drug classification system as one of its three case studies. Transform, in its evidence to the committee, has been keen to stress that the issue is more than just asking how to classify individual drugs – but rather that the entire classification system is unevidenced, unscientific and unsustainable. In summary, Transform’s submission to the inquiry notes that there are five reasons why the drugs classification is fundamentally flawed: 1. There is no evaluation or review of the classification system against meaningful indicators. 2. The system is based on the un-evidenced assumption that criminal penalties are an effective deterrent and that stronger penalties are a stronger deterrent. 4. Drug harms are mediated by the nature of the user, the dose of drug consumed and the method of consumption – making a system based upon broad sweep single classifications for each drug fundamentally unscientific, and meaningless in most practical terms. 5. Translating generalisations about harms/risks to an entire population into penalties for individuals is both unscientific and unjust. Transform spokesperson Steve Rolles said : “Transform hope that the committee don’t get bogged down in a pointless debate about why each drug is in a particular class. There is a bigger issue at stake here, which is that the entire classification system is based on drug war ideology and has no scientific basis whatsoever. We would like to see this is a prelude to a more significant inquiry into the evidence base for the criminalisation of drugs per se.” ends **Notes to editors** Contacts: Steve Rolles, Information officer: 07980 213 943 Transform Office: 0117 941 5810 ---------- Transform’s briefing is available in full to interested journalists under embargo until March 1 st (call 0117 941 5810 or email fran@tdpf.org.uk) after which it will be available online at www.tdpf.org.uk . ---------- Details of the Inquiry: http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/science_and_technology_committee/scitech091105.cfm A report commissioned by the committee from the Rand corporation will be available from the committee secretary, under embargo until March 1 st, on Feburary 29 th The committee will be taking its first oral evidence on the drugs question – to ‘ test the extent to which policies are “evidence-based” ‘from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, Chairman; and Professor David Nutt, Member and Chairman of the Technical Committee on Wednesday March the 1 st. Transform are expected to give evidence in a future session. http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/science_and_technology_committee/scitech160206.cfm --------- Transform Drug Policy Foundation is a registered charity no 1100518
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