A Question Regarding Legal Issues of Class a Drugs?
Question by Slacker: A question regarding legal issues of Class A drugs?
Are “Class A” drugs ruled by the laws of false advertising, that is to say, it is illegal to distribute a “Class A” drug which is NOT of highly superior quality and potency under such false pretenses or is it protected thus ensuring superior quality?
Best answer:
Answer by INSOMNIAC
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (c.38)[1][2][3], an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (UK), has been amended since 1971 and remains the centre piece of UK drug control policies and legislation. It represents UK action in line with treaty commitments under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs[4], the Convention on Psychotropic Substances[5], and the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances[6].
The act aims to control the possession and supply of numerous drugs and drug-like substances, known as controlled drugs, and to enable international co-operation between law enforcement agencies working against illegal drug trafficking.
It is often presented as little more than a list of prohibited drugs and of penalties linked to their possession and supply. In practice, however, the act establishes the Home Secretary as a key player in a drug licensing system. Therefore, for example, various opiates are available legally as prescription-only medicines, and cannabis (hemp)[7] may be grown under licence for ‘industrial purposes’. The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001[8], created under the 1971 Act, are about licensing of production, possession and supply of substances classified under the act.
The act creates three classes of controlled substances, A, B, and C, and ranges of penalties for illegal or unlicensed possession and possession with intent to supply are graded differently within each class. The lists of substances within each class can be amended by order, so the Home Secretary can list new drugs and upgrade, downgrade or delist previously controlled drugs with less of the bureaucracy and delay associated with passing an act through both Houses of Parliament.
The act does not cover all drugs or drug-like substances. Although, for example, cannabis is listed under the Act (as a class B drug since 26 January 2009), tobacco, another herb or plant source of drug material, is not listed.~