Oireachtas Passes The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016
A Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill was passed yesterday in the Oireachtas after a debate took place , led by Minister of Health , Mr. Simon Coveney T.D. with the other TDs and Senators in the house.
Regulations to control substances that have been open to misuse and traded on the illicit market up to now have been put in place. The Bill will also aim to regulate legitimate users who are prescribed prescription medicines.
Drugs like the z-drugs, zopiclone and zaleplon, benzodiazepine phenazepam, and two substances found in the drug “Clockwork Orange” will go on to the list of banned substances to be controlled by the new Bill.
For the moment amendments to the new Bill are being made before the Act will commence. A Bill to be legislated in the Autumn for the overseeing and establishment of Supervised Injecting Facilities is also on the way.
List of new Substances to be controlled
Prescription medicines :
- Zopiclone – a medicinal product which is indicated for the short-term treatment of insomnia in adults. Zopiclone has been identified in the National Drug-Related Death Index as the main specific drug in 51 poisoning deaths in 2013 having increased from 6 in 2007. In 2014, the Gardaí reported 165 cases of zopiclone seizures.
- Zaleplon – a medicinal product which is indicated for the treatment of patients with insomnia and is in the same family as zopiclone.
- Lisdexamfetamine – a medicinal product which is indicated as part of comprehensive treatment programme for ADHD. It is structurally similar to other amphetamine substances controlled under the legislation.
Substances to be controlled under EU and UN obligations:
- Phenazepam – member of the benzodiazepine family of medicines (such as diazepam (Valium)) which are used for sleep and anxiety disorders. It was added to Schedule IV of the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971 in 2016.
- 25B-NBOMe and 25C-NBOMe – stimulants with hallucinogenic properties pharmacologically similar to 25I-NBOMe, the substance associated with the death of an individual and hospitalisation of others in Cork in January this year. Noted as having no medical use and potential to cause substantial harm, these substances were added to Schedule I of the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971 in 2015.
- MT-45 – a substance with morphine-like effects and no therapeutic use in humans recorded. In 2014 the EU Risk Assessment found 28 deaths associated with MT-45. A decision was taken at EU level which requires Member States to control MT-45 by end October 2016. Subsequently it was added to Schedule I of the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs in 2016.
- 4,4′-DMAR – structurally similar to psycho-stimulants already controlled. In 2014 the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs reported that 36 of the 37 deaths associated with 4,4’-DMAR in the UK had occurred in Northern Ireland. A decision was taken at EU level that requires Member States to control 4,4’-DMAR by end October 2016. Subsequently it was added to Schedule II of the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971 in 2016.
Additional substances to be controlled:
- MDMB-CHMICA – a synthetic cannabinoid, currently under risk assessment at EU level. It was reported in April that at EU level there were 71 serious adverse events associated with MDMB-CHMICA reported by 8 Member States, including 29 deaths. The Health Research Board also noted that Forensic Science Ireland reported 20 seizures of this synthetic cannabinoid between 30 March and 9 September 2015.
- 5F-AKB-48 and 5F-PB-22 synthetic cannabinoids associated with the headshop product “Clockwork Orange”. In 2014, the Gardaí reported two fatal incidents in the Monaghan area where 5F-AKB-48 was subsequently found present in the bodies
