Is there a case to downgrade ecstasy to a class B drug in the UK - Essay Example

?Is there a case to downgrade Ecstasy to a B drug in the UK? Introduction Ecstasy is an illicit drug featuring in the list of “war on drugs”. The list starts with soft drugs and ends with hard drugs. Ecstasy‘s other names are “Adam, brownies, burgers, E, MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) rhubarb, and custard or XTD”. It is marketed in the form of capsule or tablet and is meant to be swallowed. People especially in late teens or early twenties gathering in clubs consume Ecstasy in order to have extraordinary energy levels for their dancing. As a result of some high profile deaths due to use of this drug during the late 1990s, demand for this drug in Britain fell sharply. It is said to generate extreme heat in the body as a result of highly stimulated frenetic dancing. Each tablet is said cost between ? 10 and ? 20 and the drug has been classified in the list of “A” class illegal drugs under Misuse of Dugs Act (Arnold, 2013, p. no page no). There has been no significant study on the effects of Ecstasy in Britain. Dr Hendry of National Poisons Information Unit at Guy’s Hospital, London, the only scientist licensed to supply pure Ecstasy, is reported to have commented that the ongoing tussle between the two opposing groups concerned with legalization of drugs is actually preventing research in respect of the drug consumed by almost 500,000 people every week end as to what really is the effect of the drug in their bodies though some studies have revealed that it causes midweek depression. The DOB or the “Golden Eagle” , a potent derivative of Ecstasy 33 times its strength is reported to have caused several death in Britain during 1998 when it began to be sold. The drug which was developed in the United States is meant for use as antidepressant also called as “flatliners” claimed to cause out-of-body experience. About 36 derivatives of Ecstasy were brought under the purview of the Misuse of Drugs Act as a class A drug (Arnold, 2013, p. no page no). Purpose of this paper is to examine whether there is a case for downgrading the drug as B class drug in view of it being a soft drug and several campaigns for downgrading. Amphetamines Ecstasy is a derivative of amphetamines which are stimulants. They are responsible for increasing cerebral activity and causing excitement and euphoria. In high doses, it is known to cause hallucinations and drug induced psychosis similar to paranoid schizophrenia. The fatalities caused by this drug are not usually dose-related and postmortem toxicology can only be measured qualitatively rather than on quantitative basis. The impairments caused also do not correlate with blood levels unlike in alcohol consumption. Amphetamines have been used for various conditions in the past. They were also once used to induce anorexia. It is currently used for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They have euphoriant effects and are responsible for psychomotor stimulation. Users tend to increase their dose up to 50x to overcome psychological dependence caused by the drug. The sympathomimetic effects which can be pronounced and lasting for several hours are : dilated pupils, tachycardia, hypertension, and tachypnoea. Although death due to overdose is rare, it can occur due to hyperpyrexia, fits and heart failure. Long term consumption in large doses causes psychosis accompanied by paranoid ideas and delusions of persecution. Cardiomyopathy is also found to occur due to its use. Ecstasy, a derivative of amphetamine has mild psychedelic effect and causes pseudo-hallucinogenic effect in high doses. With development of gradual tolerance, its long-term use causes mood disorders. As the drug is classified as emphathogen (or enactogen), is known as love-drug. Its chemical variants have the same effects. Ecstasy related deaths in high-profile events have attracted media attention and most of them have been associated with at least one other drug. Death occurs due to multiple causes and mechanisms including exacerbation of undiagnosed heart conditions, hyperthermia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, idiosyncratic reactions and water retention (renal failure) all due to cerebral edema. Whether death occurs due to overdose or direct intoxication has not been established. Toxicologists and forensic unit professionals have been advised to give a balanced view when interviewed by journalists following Ecstasy-related deaths (Squires, Norfolk, & Payne-James, 2011, pp. 470-471). Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA) covering drugs currently not in use and making it unlawful possess such drugs has classified such “controlled drugs” into three categories of Class A, Class B and Class C drugs. Ecstasy is listed under Class A known as the most dangerous (Squires, Norfolk, & Payne-James, 2011, p. 458) Called as designer and dancing drug, users find it useful to improve their self-esteem and report that it increases their desire to have intimate contacts with other people (Alters & Schiff, 2011). It can cause muscular rigidity, tremor, attention deficit in drug related tasks (Google, 2013, p. 375). Ecstasy reclassification U.K. Government’s Drug adviser’s Professor’s recommendation as early as in February 2009 to downgrade Ecstasy to class B from class was rejected by the Home office apparently influenced by the politicians for the reason that the drug was unpredictable and could kill people and felt that that the professor is trivializing the dangers associated with the use of the drug although the advisory council voted in favour of classifying the drug as B class instead of A class since Ecstasy is not as harmful as any other A class drug and causes fewer deaths . It has no significant effect on short term memory and there is no evidence that the drug would induce criminal behavior The report of the council states that Ecstasy has caused about 33 to 50 deaths each year on the average in the last 10 years and as a solitary cause only 10 to 17 deaths per year. Horse riding has caused 10 deaths per year (Bekaert & People, 2011, p. 125). Inquiry report on new psychotic substances (NPS) by All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform (APPGDPR) Forty years of the functioning of Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 have guided the formulation of drug policy in Britain. Though the report of the APPGDPR is meant for NPS, the report has dealt with traditional drugs like Ecstasy for cross reference purposes. Nonetheless, it is quite informative and educative. It says the controlled substance Ecstasy is procured by youth from illicit drug peddlers and mixed with dangerous substances. They buy NPS mimicking Ecstasy whenever they find it contaminated. The report by the all party parliamentary group emphasizes that the drug policies tend to criminalize young people which in turn leads to high levels of unemployment, homelessness, relationship problems and adds to the tax burden of the common public. The Temporary Class Drug Orders of 2011 however do not criminalize users of the banned substance for one year period and it is for the first time a government has banned supply of a drug without criminalizing its possession and use. But the report says that the current legislative framework does not provide protection to them. The report adds that the aim of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was to divide drugs according to their dangers and the already classified drugs in accordance with the aim need to be reviewed for their dangers in the light of newer scientific knowledge that have since emerged and they should be reclassified accordingly. However this has not been done all these years mainly because of reluctance on the part of politicians to downgrade a classification with the result less harmful drugs like Ecstasy and Cannabis are still in the list of A and B class drugs respectively. The well-known paper published by Blackmore et al 2007, the four eminent scientists demonstrates the lack of correlation between the harmful effects of a drugs and its classification. The classification has therefore gained disrepute as an irrational classification. The report suggests that the onus should be placed on the supplier to prove that a psychoactive substance has a low risk of harm on the lines of the policy of New Zealand. The report says that U.K. ‘s enforcement of MDA 1971 lags behind the policies of number of European countries such as Czech Republic, Spain, Estonia and Portugal that have already decriminalized the possession and use of drugs in small quantities. Still other countries have not criminalized possession and use of such substances. These policies have been translated into better employment, improved family relationships, better hosing and savings for the taxpaying public (APPGDPR, 2011, pp. 6,7,17,). Downgrading to class B means in reduction of imprisonment from seven years to five years for possession and from life to 14 years for dealers. Ecstasy is listed on par with crack cocaine and heroin. On the other hand, those who are against downgrading maintain that it should be retained as class A drug for reasons of its very damaging effect on the lives of individuals and communities. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is blamed as not a body of scientific experts. It is an odd committee of members whose opinions alone should not weigh against the drug being retained as that of A class. According to Professor Andy Parrot who is an Ecstasy expert, the drug has the highly damaging effect on the bodies and brains of the consumers (Brady & Owen, 2009, p. 1) O’Loughlin (2008, p. 1) has already reported that that Professor David Nut, the chairperson of ACMD who is in favour of the downgrade has not considered that Ecstasy’s danger lies in its potential use in combination with other drugs which results in the frenzied activity of the individual and the subsequent thirst in the drug consuming individual. It has not been considered that damage to the brain caused by Ecstasy is more dangerous than alcohol. Ecstasy taken along with the already depressant and sedative alcohol certainly can cause more damage. The authors add that a drugs classification should not be on the basis of tests on the drug done in isolation but in combination with other drugs as in practice. Those who advocate downgrading point out that liberalization would at least generate taxes which be ploughed back to the NHS and funds will stop going to the criminal gangs. (Beancarrier, 2008, p. 1) Professor David Nut’s view that taking Ecstasy is like going on horse riding just as any other dangerous recreational activity like motor riding which causes more deaths than caused by Ecstasy. The author points out that more information available has not been considered. Death caused by Ecstasy is only two people per every ten thousand which is far less than deaths occurring in people engaging in legal activities like horse riding etc. The advice given to drug users by health agencies are inaccurate and can cause problems to the users. One advice is to drink water heavily in order to prevent dehydration. It is quite understandable that without water in the body, the drug can cause overheating especially when the user is engaged in nonstop dancing all night. If there is no water in the body to match with the highest possible temperature, it can lead to an irreversible internal bleeding. Even drinking water in large amounts as a pre-cautionary measure is not without risk in the presence of Ecstasy. Drinking too much of water can also dilute salt levels in the bloodstream and will make internal organs bulge and reflect on too much pressure on the brain that will cause body to shut down completely. This condition is known as Hyponatremia of which two people have died in the U.K. in 2007. If water level is high in the body whilst on Ecstasy, lowering or dilution of salt levels in blood essential for body functioning will lead to swelling of the brain. Thus, pressure on the brain stem that controls heart and breathing functions can be fatal. The most plausible reason for not downgrading can be is the root of Ecstasy known as MDMA, a form of methamphetamine. Ecstasy does not come with drug alone. It comes along with Ketamine, a horse sedative, LSD, a hallucinogenic and speckles of heroin which is the most potent drug appearing as brown specks on the Ecstasy pill. When these drugs are already in class A, it is not possible to downgrade Ecstasy alone to class B. The link between the drug and depression is known to produce excess amounts of Serotonin which is a brain chemical which occurs naturally in brain when someone is happy or in romantic mood. A fast rush of the chemical through Ecstasy makes one feel very high and intimate with other people. The moment the chemical begins to wear off, there is a sudden surge of serotonin depletion that leads to the feeling of depression and negative thinking patterns. This if taken regularly can cause severe depression and further deterioration to paranoia and anxiety just as alcohol does but at a lesser degree. For reasons as above, Cannabis has been reclassified as a B class drug (Sparkster, 2012, p. 1). The United States has the equivalent classification of Schedule I drugs (Anonymous, n.d.). Notwithstanding the advice of the independent drug advisory body, the U.K. Government has already rejected its recommendation to classify Ecstasy as a B class drug as early as in 2009 (Kmietowicz, 2009). There is a report that drugs should classified according to the harms they can cause and not as per the present classification which is irrational. Otherwise more harmful drugs like alcohol and tobacco as a socially accepted recreational drugs would not have been in the downgraded list (MNT, 2007, p. 1). Apart from the U.S.A., reports from Canada, Netherlands, and WHO show that Ecstasy is treated with the same gradation as in the U.K. Many have contended that even though it may be less harmful, potential organized crime and environmental concern compel retention of the drug in the present status itself (Anonymous, MDMA, n.d.) Conclusion From the foregoing, it is reasonable to say Ecstasy is less harmful than it has been projected to be. But it is more reasonable to retain it as a class A drug itself if viewed under the worst case scenario. Although there may be overwhelming scientific evidence in favour of its downgrading, worst case scenario i.e Ecstasy taken along with drugs and public opinion outweigh the downgrading proposition. The Government has been right in rejecting the drug advisory body’s recommendation to down grade Ecstasy. One practical way out may be to review all the drugs from all the categories and reclassify them in terms of their potential harm as suggested elsewhere above. Downgrading an A class drug to B class would only result in marginal reduction in the period of imprisonment and such a relief is not significant. References Alters, S., & Schiff, W. (2011). Essential Concepts for Healthy Living Update. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Anonymous. (n.d.). MDMA. Retrieved April 25, 2013, from Pedia viw com : http://pediaview.com/openpedia/MDMA Anonymous. (n.d.). The Debate over Downgrading Ecstasy in Great Britain. Retrieved April 25, 2013, from treatmentsolutions.com: http://www.treatmentsolutions.com/the-debate-over-downgrading-Ecstasy-in-great-britain/ APPGDPR. (2011). Report of an Inquiry into new pyschoactive susbstance . Arnold, G. (2013). International Drugs Trade, Chapter 3 . Abingdon: Routledge. Beancarrier. (2008). Baby World . Bekaert, S., & People, A. P. (2011). Hot Topics in Adolescent Health:. London: Redcliff Publishing . Brady, B., & Owen, J. (2009, Jan 4). Downgrade Ecstasy to class B drug, say ministerial advisers . The Independent , p. 1. Google. (2013). Principles of Addiction: Comprehensive Addictive Behaviors and Disorders, Volume 1 (Google eBook). Academic Press . Kmietowicz, Z. (2009). UK government rejects advice from drugs adviser to downgrade Ecstasy. BMJ , 338-592. MNT. (2007, March 27). 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