Category: drug offences
Poppers ‘not part of legal highs ban’ – BBC News
‘Government drugs advisers have said “poppers” – used by many gay men to enhance sexual experience – will not be covered by a ban on “legal highs”. The Psychoactive Substances Act, which comes into force in the UK next month, makes it illegal to supply drugs which have a direct effect on mental processes, unless the drug is exempted. Ministers had indicated that poppers would be included in the ban. But advisers say poppers have only a “peripheral” effect on the brain.’
BBC News, 16th March 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The poppers ban: will it criminalise gay users? – The Guardian
‘More than 2m bottles of poppers are sold legally every year – and Yorkshire is the centre of the trade. How is one factory preparing for the ban?’
The Guardian, 7th March 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Biggest crackdown’ on rogue pharmacists – BBC News
‘Nine pharmacists who sold drugs illegally have been banned from practice, after a BBC investigation led to the “biggest crackdown” in UK pharmaceutical history.’
BBC News, 6th March 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Accrington brothers jailed over Facebook judge posts – BBC News
‘Two drug dealing brothers taken back to court for mocking a judge when she decided not to send them to prison have now been jailed for two years.’
BBC News, 26th February 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
New offences and sentencing – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Two further significant provisions of the Serious Crime Act 2015 have been brought into force. First, on 10 November 2015, section 79 created section 40CB of the Prison Act 1952, which provides for an offence of throwing any article or substance into a prison without authorisation.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 22nd February 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Brothers remanded after abusing judge on Facebook – Guardian
‘Two brothers have been remanded in custody after a judge ordered them back to court over abusive Facebook messages posted shortly after they were handed suspended prison terms.’
Guardian, 16 February 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Babbage: Court orders release of Zimbabwean foreign criminal, criticises Government lawyers – Free Movement
‘In the case of R (on the application of Babbage) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2016] EWHC 148 (Admin) Mr Justice Garnham ordered the release of a detained Zimbabwean foreign criminal. In the process, he was corruscating critical of the conduct of Government lawyers acting for the Secretary of State for the Home Department.’
Free Movement, 3rd February 2016
Source: www.freemovement.org.uk
Landmark law to tackle psychoactive substances passed – Home Office
‘The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 receives Royal Assent.’
Home Office, 28th January 2016
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
Legal highs law could hinder police, says commissioner – The Guardian
‘Police could face extra expense and confusion as a result of discrepancies in the laws banning the possession of drugs that will emerge once the psychoactive substances bill comes into force, a police and crime commissioner has warned.’
The Guardian, 29th January 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Whistleblower judge: austerity policies have made courts dangerous – The Guardian
‘A district judge who is suing the Ministry of Justice after whistleblowing her complaints about courtroom dangers – death threats, violent claimants and hostage-taking – has spoken out for the first time about her experience of an under-resourced justice system.’
The Guardian, 23rd January 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Poppers users beware: a draconian and discriminatory law is on its way – The Guardian
‘You rarely get a new law that criminalises the lifestyle choices of gay men, but the legal highs bill is coming to the statute book.’
The Guardian, 21st January 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Fake ambulance drug smugglers jailed for between 18 and 28 years – The Guardian
‘Three drug smugglers have been jailed for at least 18 years each for transporting as much as £1.6bn worth of cocaine and heroin into the UK using a fleet of fake ambulances.’
The Guardian, 11th December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Home Office ‘used wrong law’ in bid to send high-risk Jamaican criminal home – Daily Telegraph
‘Michael Evans Clarke will be allowed to stay in Britain indefinitely under human rights laws following the Home Office gaffe.’
Daily Telegraph, 12th December 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Gatwick baggage handler jailed for drug smuggling – The Guardian
‘A baggage handler at Gatwick airport has been jailed with three others for smuggling drugs worth a total of £700,000 into Britain.’
The Guardian, 7th December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Prisons to introduce tests for legal highs in bid to reduce violence – The Guardian
‘Ministers claim the introduction of new drug tests able to detect legal highs such as spice and black mamba will prove a “gamechanger” in curbing the rising tide of violence in jails across England and Wales.’
The Guardian, 1st December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Proposed blanket ban on legal highs criticised by MPs – The Guardian
‘A proposed blanket ban on legal highs is too broad and fails to adequately define what a psychoactive substance actually is, an influential committee of MPs has said.’
The Guardian, 24th October 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Legal highs: Psychoactive drugs policy ‘rushed’, say MPs – BBC News
‘Legislation to ban new psychoactive substances in the UK is being rushed, MPs have warned.’
BBC News, 22nd October 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
UK appeal court backs ‘deport first, appeal later’ policy for foreign prisoners – The Guardian
‘The Home Office won a key legal challenge on Tuesday over the “deport first, appeal later” policy, which removes the right of foreign prisoners to appeal against deportation from within the UK.’
The Guardian, 13th October 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Legalising cannabis in the UK ‘would raise hundreds of millions’ – The Independent
‘Legalising cannabis would raise taxes worth hundreds of millions of pounds and produce large savings for the criminal justice system, a private analysis for the Treasury has concluded.’
The Independent, 13th October 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
