The Home Office has officially responded to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs advice regarding diphenylprolinol (D2PM) and diphenylmethylpyrrolidine.  The substances can produce similar effects to methamphetamine or cocaine.

On November 15th a ban on the importation on the  drugs was announced.  In an open letter to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) Lord Henley, Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Antisocial Behaviour Reduction, thanked the ACMD for their recommendations and confirmed that a draft order was in place to seek approval from Parliament to ban the substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

A full ban is expected on March 28th 2012.

The Home Office has confirmed the launch of a consultation period to discuss changes to be made within the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. The plan is for the Government to introduce a secondary bill for late night levy and early morning restriction orders (”EMROs”) with the aim to be dealing with the problems of late night drinking.

A consultation period has been launched which encourages from all interested parties including charities, licensees and landlords aswell as the general public to have their say on the proposals. The consultation is open until 10 April 2012. Comments should be submitted either online or via email.

In November 2011 the Home Office Select Committee launched an enquiry into UK drug policy.  In particular the focus was on the Government’s 2010 drug policy, and how effective it has been.  It was also to examine the UK policy on reducing the supply and demand of illicit drugs worldwide.

As part of the review organisations and the general public were invited to submit written submissions voicing their opinion.  Due to the interest generated the Committee have extended the date for written submissions to 7th February 2012.

The Prime Minister admitted the Government is taking tougher and more effective actions on drug-driving. A proposal is being sought to introduce a new offence of driving under the influence of drugs. The new strategy will be discussed with a panel of scientists and forensic toxicologists on thresholds for different substances.

Drug driving contributes to hundreds of deaths and injures every year. According to latest research, figures show that only in 2008, drugs were suspected of being responsible for more than 250 fatal accidents, but fewer than 170 drug-drivers were prosecuted.

Currently it is difficult for the police force to provide evidence of drug driving impairment, resulting in thousands of offenders going undetected. The Home Office is considering the introduction of a new saliva testing kit to enforce a more effective drug screening and convict criminal offenders.

Jo Bullock from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: “This is a step forward in the fight against drug-driving which, together with new testing equipment, will help police catch and convict those driving under the influence of drugs”.

A&E staff face their busiest time of the year over the festive period. The Friday before Christmas is historically one of the biggest party nights of the year.  During the course of the year alcohol-related hospital admissions account for 40% of A&E patients however over the festive period this figure increases significantly. In some parts of the UK ambulance services will receive calls relating to alcohol injuries every 30 seconds.

In the opinion of the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, the solution to the UK’s alcohol crisis is not minimum pricing.  The Home Office has confirmed that a new government strategy designed to tackle the UK’s attitude to alcohol will be launched early 2012. It is thought that the new policy will focus on community based alcohol partnerships.  This would allow police, trading standards and retailers to work together to target problems such as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour.