The Act creates three classes of "controlled substances", with different ranges of penalties for each. "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.
Before 1971, the UK had a relatively liberal drugs policy and it was not until US influence had been brought to bear — particularly in United Nations circles — that all drugs use was criminalised. Before the passage of the Act, it was possible for heroin addicts to be prescribed enough of the drug to manage their addiction without being forced to buy from the black market, for example.
Supporters of the newer drugs policy tend to believe that criminalising both drugs use and possession is the best way to handle the social problems caused by drugs, whereas opponents tend to suggest that criminalising users and dealers alike is counterproductive and detrimental to the health of users.
This section is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Misuse-of-Drugs-Act-1971&action=edit).
Text of the Act (http://www.ukcia.org/pollaw/lawlibrary/misuseofdrugsact1971.html) from the UK Cannabis Internet Activists (http://www.ukcia.org/) (a cannabis pro-legalisation group)
Home Office Drugs policy website (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs/)
Talk to Frank (http://www.talktofrank.com/) — a mid-2000s government information campaign website, with Plain English information about drugs and drugs policy
This law-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Misuse-of-Drugs-Act-1971&action=edit).
As well as prohibiting the use of the drugs concerned outside these lawful fields, the conventions and the MDA (mainly through the regulations made under section 7) are concerned to ensure that their use within these areas continues to be possible.
Drugs were placed in three Classes, listed in Schedule 2 to the Act, and penalties for offences were related to the Class of drug involved in the offence.
Confusingly the drugs are sometimes described as being Schedule 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 drugs: such references are not to the Classes in Schedule 2 to the Act but to the Schedules to the related Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1985 [12].
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