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Mephedrone set for ban 'in weeks' Mephedrone set for ban 'in weeks'
(19 minutes later)
Home Secretary Alan Johnson is to ban mephedrone and other synthetic so-called "legal highs" within weeks.Home Secretary Alan Johnson is to ban mephedrone and other synthetic so-called "legal highs" within weeks.
It comes after the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended they be classified as a Class B drugs.It comes after the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended they be classified as a Class B drugs.
Class B drugs, which include cannabis and amphetamines, carry a maximum sentence of five years for possession or 14 years for supply.Class B drugs, which include cannabis and amphetamines, carry a maximum sentence of five years for possession or 14 years for supply.
There has been recent pressure to ban mephedrone, linked in media reports to at least four UK deaths. There has been recent pressure to ban mephedrone, linked in media reports to at least four deaths in the UK.
Mr Johnson said he would introducing legislation in Parliament on Tuesday and hoped to get cross-party support. Mr Johnson said he would be introducing legislation in Parliament on Tuesday and hoped to get cross-party support.
There is little more we can do to describe the importance of ensuring that advice is not subjected to a desire to please ministers Dr Polly Taylor Adviser's full resignation letter Read Mark Easton's blog What is mephedrone?
He added the importation of mephedrone and the chemical compounds associated with it have been banned with immediate effect and the UK Border Agency instructed to seize any shipments.He added the importation of mephedrone and the chemical compounds associated with it have been banned with immediate effect and the UK Border Agency instructed to seize any shipments.
Mr Johnson said: "As a result of the council's swift advice, I am introducing legislation to ban not just mephedrone and other cathinones but also to enshrine in law a generic definition so that, as with synthetic cannabinoids, we can be in the forefront of dealing with this whole family of drugs.
"This will stop unscrupulous manufacturers and others peddling different but similarly harmful drugs."
There had been speculation the 11th-hour resignation of Dr Polly Taylor from the ACMD could delay a ban because of rules about its membership.There had been speculation the 11th-hour resignation of Dr Polly Taylor from the ACMD could delay a ban because of rules about its membership.
The law says any move to ban a drug must follow consultation with the ACMD.The law says any move to ban a drug must follow consultation with the ACMD.
After the resignation of Dr Taylor, Lib Dem science spokesman Dr Evan Harris said Home Secretary Alan Johnson's ban would have to wait until the council was "properly constituted".
But a spokesman from the Home Office maintained the ACMD was still able to fulfil its legal role.But a spokesman from the Home Office maintained the ACMD was still able to fulfil its legal role.
The interim chair of the ACMD, Les Iversen, said the ACMD was "saddened and disappointed" that Dr Taylor - the council's veterinary medicine expert - had resigned.
Dr Taylor said she "did not have trust" in the way the government would treat the council's advice.
In her resignation letter, Dr Taylor told the home secretary: "I feel that there is little more we can do to describe the importance of ensuring that advice is not subjected to a desire to please ministers or the mood of the day's press."
'Clear message'
Mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant, is known by various names, including "M-Cat", and "meow meow".
MEPHEDRONE FACTS Effects similar to amphetamines and ecstasySold as a white powder, capsules and pills or can be dissolved in liquidOften sold online as plant food marked "not for human consumption"Completely different to methadone, used to treat heroin addictsReported side effects include headaches, palpitations, nausea, cold or blue fingers Long-term effect unknownCurrently legal to buy and be in possession of the powder, but against the law to sell, supply or advertise the powder for human consumptionAlready illegal in Israel, Denmark, Norway and Sweden
So far there is no conclusive scientific proof that mephedrone has been responsible for any deaths in the UK, and scientists are still trying to work out whether it is harmful on its own or if taken with something else.
But there have been at least 18 deaths in England where cathinones - the group of drugs into which mephedrone falls - have been implicated, an ACMD meeting on Friday revealed.
Seven provided post mortem evidence of mephedrone, and a further seven deaths in Scotland have been linked to the drugs.
The Association of Chief Police Officers lead on drugs Chief Constable Tim Hollis said the home secretary's announcement "sends out a clear message to young people that this is a dangerous and harmful drug and should not be taken".
He added: "It will also serve to suppress sales and provide police with enforcement powers that will allow us to target those dealing in this drug."
The Conservatives welcomed the move but said it would "go further" by introducing a temporary ban classification to tackle other similar "legal highs" that may come on to the market.
Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: "This is clearly the right step to take regarding mephedrone but we should not be complacent."
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said the action could have come earlier had the home secretary not decided to sack the former ACMD chief advisor in a row over the effects of cannabis.
"His intervention sparked a number of resignations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and left the government scrabbling around for independent advice," he said.