Regulated possession and supply of controlled drugs Flashcards
Q: Are all controlled drugs prohibited?
Not all controlled drugs are prohibited in all circumstances. Some have medicinal or scientific purposes/benefits.
There are thousands of people concerned in the regulated possession and supply of controlled drugs who have legitimate and legal purposes.
Q: Where are the exemptions found?
Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001- in order to benefit from any of the exemptions provided by the regulations, you need to be acting lawfully within the scope of the framework set out in the rules.
Eg: lab worker is covered whilst dealing with controlled work for legal purposes, but this does not cover her if she has controlled drugs at her home for her personal use
Q: What is Regulation 6?
Allows anyone who is lawfully in possession of a controlled drug to give the drug back to the person from whom he obtained it.
This might cover a heroin addict who has been prescribed methadone and returns it to the chemist.
It also gives a more general authority to anyone who has been prescribed certain drugs for treatment by a medical practitioner, to return them to any doctor, dentist or pharmacist for destruction.
Eg: this would cover someone who has been prescribed morphine for pain, but they do not need to use their full prescription, so they later return the unused portion of the prescription to their GP.
Q: What power does Regulation 6 grant to police officers?
Regulation 6 also covers police officers and allows you to have a controlled drug in your possession or to supply it to anyone lawfully entitled to possess it. Only when police officers are acting in the course of their duties!
Q: What powers does Regulation 6 give to post men and couriers?
They are covered under the Regulation if they are handling/transporting controlled drugs to those legally entitled to possess them and are not committing an offence.
Q: What is the rule on cannabis for medicinal purposes?
Rules introduced in 2018 amend the 2001 Regulations to permit wider use of cannabis-based products for medicinal purposes. They allow doctors to prescribe certain products for a variety of medical reasons.
These rules relate only to specialist doctors, not to GPs. This means doctors that are listed on the General Medical Council’s Specialist Practitioner Register.
