Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to reclassify Spice as a class A drug; and if he will make a statement.

A wide range of synthetic cannabinoids are misleadingly supplied under the street names Black Mamba and Spice.

We recognise how dangerous these drugs can be. That is why we acted to control this group of substances as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and give the police the powers they need to take action, including making possession illegal and making longer sentences for dealers possible.

Following two previous changes to legislation, the most recent controls for 'third generation' synthetic cannabinoids came into effect in December 2016 on the advice of the Advisory Council of the Misuse of drugs. As with all controlled drugs we will continue to monitor the impact of these controls.