Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is a statutory and non-executive non-departmental British public body, which was established under the UK's Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Mandate

Its terms of referencecite paper|title=Drug classification, making a hash of it?|author=UK House of Commons, Science and Technology Committee|url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmsctech/1031/1031.pdf|date=2006] , according to the Act, are as follows:

"to keep under review the situation in the United Kingdom with respect to drugs which are being or appear to them likely to be misused and of which the misuse is having or appears to them capable of having harmful effects sufficient to constitute a social problem, and to give to any one or more of the Ministers, where either Council consider it expedient to do so or they are consulted by the Minister or Ministers in question, advice on measures (whether or not involving alteration of the law) which in the opinion of the Council ought to be taken for preventing the misuse of such drugs or dealing with social problems connected with their misuse, and in particular on measures which in the opinion of the Council, ought to be taken"

*a) "for restricting the availability of such drugs or supervising the arrangements for their supply";
*b) "for enabling persons affected by the misuse of such drugs to obtain proper advice, and for securing the provision of proper facilities and services for the treatment, rehabilitation and aftercare of such persons";
*c) "for promoting co-operation between the various professional and community services which in the opinion of the Council have a part to play in dealing with social problems connected with the misuse of drugs";
*d) "for educating the public (and in particular the young) in the dangers of misusing such drugs and for giving publicity to those dangers";
*e) "for promoting research into, or otherwise obtaining information about, any matter which in the opinion of the Council is of relevance for the purpose of preventing the misuse of such drugs or dealing with any social problem connected with their misuse".

Functioning

One of the key functions of the ACMD is to recommend classification of new or existing drugs, which may be misused.

The sources of evidence that the ACMD uses are

*formal surveys undertaken for, or on behalf of, Government including the British Crime Survey, the Forensic Science Service statistics, general population surveys, school surveys as well as international/European surveys such as European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other drugs;

*the law enforcement agencies;

*voluntary sector organisations with concerns and responsibilities for those who misuse drugs;

*professional bodies;

*published and unpublished scientific literature;

*submissions from special interest groups and the general public.

In order to have a rough but quantitative measure of the harms of a drug, the ACMD uses a risk assessment matrix, where nine different aspects of harm for each drug are evaluated:

*Physical harm
**Acute
**Chronic
**Parenteral
*Dependence
**Intensity of Pleasure
**Psychological dependence
**Physical dependence
*Social harms
**Intoxication
**Other social harms
**Healthcare costs

Criticism

In 2006, the Science & Technology Select Committee of the UK House of Commons conducted a series of case studies examining the government's handling of scientific advice, risk and evidence in policy making. The second of its case-studies focused on the relationship between scientific advice and evidence and the classification of illegal drugs. It examined the workings of the ACMD.

A summary of the findings, vis-a-vis ACMD:

"In the course of this case study, we have looked in detail at the role played by, and workings of, the Government’s scientific advisory committee on drug classification and policy, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). We have identified a number of serious flaws in the way the Council conducts its business. Although the Council has produced useful reports explaining the rationale behind its recommendations on drug classification decisions, we found a lack of transparency in other areas of its work and a disconcerting degree of confusion over its remit. We also note that the ACMD has failed to adhere to key elements of the Government’s Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees. In response to these and other concerns about the Council’s operations, we have called for the Home Office to ensure that there is, in future, independent oversight of the Council’s workings. We have also highlighted the need for the ACMD to play a far more a proactive role in supporting the work of the Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills: the Government’s approach to drug education and treatment must be informed by scientific advice and stronger cross-departmental coordination will be vital if the Public Service Agreement targets on drugs policy are to be met."

Some specific findings:

"69. Overall, our examination of the processes used by the ACMD and Home Office to make, respectively, recommendations and decisions regarding the classification of drugs has revealed a disconcertingly ad hoc approach to determining when reviews should be undertaken and a worrying lack of transparency in how classification decisions are made."

"73. .. It is extremely disappointing that the Council has not taken any steps to increase the transparency of its operations and, moreover, that the Chairman displayed so little interest in improving the Council’s approach in evidence to us. It is incumbent upon the Chairman to ensure that the ACMD follows the spirit of openness prescribed by the Code of Practice."

"85. .. If, as the ACMD Chairman indicated to us, the Council’s work has been seriously hindered by the lack of evidence, the ACMD should have been far more vocal in pressing Ministers to ensure that more research was commissioned to fill the key gaps in the evidence base."

"97. .. We understand that the ACMD operates within the framework set by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 but, bearing in mind that the Council is the sole scientific advisory body on drugs policy, we consider the Council’s failure to alert the Home Secretary to the serious doubts about the basis and effectiveness of the classification system at an earlier stage a dereliction of its duty."

Members

The ACMD is required to have at least 20 members, among them representatives of the practices of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, and chemistry (other than pharmaceutical chemistry); and members who have a wide and relevant experience of social problems connected with the misuse of drugs.http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs-laws/acmd/about-us/committees-and-members/] Membership currently stands at 31, including the Chair. The current term of office for members will expire on 31 December 2010. All members are unpaid, although expenses are reimbursed.

A listing of its members, as of September 2008:

*Professor Michael Rawlins (Chairman) - Professor of Pharmacology, University of Newcastle
*Dr Dima Abdulrahim - Briefings Manager, National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse
*Lord Victor Adebowale - Chief Executive, Turning Point
*Mr Martin Barnes - Chief Executive, Drugscope
*Dr Margaret Birtwistle - Specialist GP, Senior Tutor - Education and Training Unit, St George's Hospital & Forensic Medicine Examiner
*Simon Bray
*Dr Simon Campbell CBE FRS
*Eric Carlin
*Ms Carmel Clancy - Principal Lecturer in Mental Health and Addictions, Middlesex University.
*Professor Ilana Crome - Professor of Addiction Psychiatry, Keele University Medical School, Harplands Hospital.
*Ms Robyn Doran - Registered Mental Health Nurse & Service Director, Substance Misuse CNWL Mental Health Trust.
*Dr Clare Gerada - General Practitioner (London Practice) and Primary Care Lead for Drug Misuse & Chair at the Royal College of General Practitioners.
*Mr Patrick Hargreaves - Adviser for Drugs and Alcohol, Durham County Council Education Department
*Ms Caroline Healy - Director, Childline.
*Dr Matthew Hickman - Deputy Director, Centre for Research on Drugs & Health Behaviour, Senior Lecturer in Public Health
*Professor Leslie Iversen - Professor of Pharmacology, University of Oxford
*Dr Les King
*David Liddell
*Dr John Marsden - Research Psychologist, Institute of Psychiatry.
*Mr Peter Martin - Former Chief Executive, Addaction.
*Professor David Nutt - Director of Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol
*Mr Trevor Pearce - Acting Director General, National Crime Squad.
*District Judge Justin Philips
*Richard Phillips
*Ian Ragan
*DCC Howard Roberts - Deputy Chief Constable, Nottinghamshire Police
*Dr Mary Rowlands - Consultant Psychiatrist in Substance Misuse, Exeter
*Dr Polly Taylor - Veterinary Surgeon
*Ms Monique Tomlinson - Freelance Consultant in Substance Misuse
*Marion Walker FRPharmS
*Mr Arthur Wing - Assistant Chief Officer, Sussex Probation Area

References

External links

*Announcements and publications by the ACMD can be found at the UK [http://www.drugs.gov.uk Home Office - Drugs] site.