Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2023 to Question 126511 and the Answer of 9th February 2023 to Question 140011, whether her Department is in possession of any (a) recent and (b) historic evidence to show that Psilocybin (i) causes harm or (ii) has the potential to cause harm.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
As I set out in response to Question 140011, Psilocybin, in common with a number of drugs that have been controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (the 1971 Act) for a considerable period of time, has not been subject to analysis or recent analysis of harm.
The Government has not commissioned or published any recent analysis of the harms of psilocybin. Psilocybin, as an “ester of psilocin”, is controlled as a Class A drug under the 1971 Act and is placed in Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Psilocin is also subject to the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, to which the United Kingdom is signatory.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2023 to Question 126511 on Psilocybin: Misuse, whether her Department has historic evidence to show that Psilocybin (a) causes harm or (b) has the potential to cause harm.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
As the then Crime and Policing Minister set out in his response to Question 7725, psilocybin, in common with a number of drugs which have been controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (the 1971 Act) for a considerable period of time have not been subject to analysis or recent analysis of harm.
The Government has not commissioned or published any recent analysis of the harms of psilocybin. Psilocybin, as an “ester of psilocin”, is controlled as a Class A drug under the the 1971 Act and is placed in Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Psilocin is also subject to the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, to which the United Kingdom is signatory.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the code of practices for the welfare of animals to include guidance on (a) invisible containment fence systems for livestock, (b) invisible containment fence systems for pets and (c) remote electronic training collars for dogs.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s codes of practice provide owners and keepers with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their animals, as required under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The codes of practice are kept under review and updated in line with legislative developments and changes in animal welfare practice.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question 131103 on Cannabidiol and with reference to clause six of paragraph four of the Working Protocol between the Home Secretary and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, published on 14 November 2011, for what reason her Department has not published a response within three months to the report entitled ACMD advice on consumer cannabidiol products, published on 17 December 2021; whether the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has been informed of these reasons; and whether her Department has given the Council a prospective date for a response.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are in the process of considering the findings of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) report on consumer cannabidiol products.
This is a complex area of policy and the Government is giving close consideration to the recommendations before responding in due course. We regularly engage with the Council on the timescales for responding to their reports and any reasons for those.
We will continue to work closely with the ACMD as policy is developed on the regulation of CBD products.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the finding of the National Police Chiefs' Council Livestock Worrying Working Group that the dog was unaccompanied in most livestock worrying incidents, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of promoting livestock aversion training courses for dogs.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs includes guidance and reminders for owners about their responsibilities to provide for the welfare needs of their animals and to keep their dogs safe and under control. Natural England have also published a refreshed version of the Countryside Code, which helpfully sets out certain legal requirements and provides advice on controlling dogs around livestock.
Training dogs is important to help them learn to behave appropriately and to make it easier to keep them under control. It is important to seek professional advice to identify/discuss any behaviour problems and the best training options for your dog as an incorrect training regime can negatively affect a dog’s welfare. Reward based training which includes the use of things that dogs like or want is widely regarded as the preferred form of training dogs.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 67096, on Psilocybin, and to the Answer of 23 January 2023 to Question 126511, on Psilocybin: Misuse, for what reason she will not conduct a review of the harms of psilocybin.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Psilocybin, as an “ester of psilocin”, is controlled as a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and has been since the Act was introduced. As set out in the response to Parliamentary Question 67096, the Government has no plans to commission the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to assess the classification of Psilocybin.
A review of classification is not currently a priority in the context of the significant challenges of drug misuse set out in Dame Carol Black's independent review of drugs, which the government is focused on tackling through the 10-year Drug Strategy, including work to improve treatment and recovery services, tackle drugs supply and reduce the demand for drugs in society.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will hold discussions with the FSA on (a) the safety of Cannabidiol (CBD) products and (b) the process by which the FSA assesses the risks presented by those products; and if she will seek advice from the FSA to inform her decision on the regulation of CBD products.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office works with the Food Standards Agency on the issue of CBD products, given our respective responsibilities for the regulation of controlled drugs and novel foods.
The Home Office will continue to work with the Agency as we consider our response to the advice provided by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on CBD products.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' consumer cannabidiol products cover letter and report published on 17 December 2021.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In January 2021, the Home Office wrote to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) seeking the Council’s advice on how we can strengthen the law on consumer CBD products. This followed concerns that some CBD products being sold for human consumption may contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), a controlled drug compound found within the cannabis plant, making these products likely to be unlawful.
The ACMD published their report on 17 December 2021, recommending changes to the law. We are in the process of considering their findings and the Government will respond in due course.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she made if the implications for her policies of the findings of the report by the APPG on CBD products entitled Plan for a Legal and Regulated UK Hemp and Cannabis Sector, published on 29 July 2022, on (a) the potential effect of reviewing CBD legislation on urban and rural job creation and tax income for the Government and (b) the potential effect on the CBD industry of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs proposals for the dosage threshold of 50 micrograms of controlled phytocannabinoids per unit of consumption, made to her Department by that body on 17 December 2021.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
No specific assessment has been made of the implications of the APPG CBD report on the potential effects on employment and taxation of a review of CBD legislation.
In January 2021, the Home Office wrote to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) seeking the Council’s advice on how we can strengthen the law on consumer CBD products.
This followed concerns that some CBD products being sold for human consumption may contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), a controlled drug compound found within the cannabis plant, making these products likely to be unlawful.
The ACMD published their report on 17 December 2021, recommending changes to the law. We are in the process of considering their findings and the Government will respond in due course.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the paper entitled Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression, published in 2022, if he will ask the Chief Medical Officer to assess the (a) medicinal and (b) therapeutic utility of psilocybin.
Answered by Will Quince
As it says in the conclusion of the paper “Larger and longer trials, including comparison with existing treatments, are required to determine the efficacy and safety of psilocybin for this disorder.” When new treatments are sufficiently developed, there are existing mechanisms in the United Kingdom to licence those treatments and determine their cost effectiveness and use. These are the correct routes to follow, once the evidence is sufficiently developed.