The Society welcomes the Home Office recognition that the new Psychoactive Substances Bill should be so drafted as to ensure it does not place barriers in the way of bona fide research.

The acknowledgement comes after the Royal Society of Biology the British Pharmacological Society, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, The Royal Society and the Wellcome Trust co-signed a letter from the Academy of Medical Sciences to Lord Bates, Minister of State at the Home Office, to voice concerns about the Bill’s potentially detrimental impact on research.

The response contains clear reassurances that the Government intends to remove anything from the Bill that could constitute an obstacle to bona fide research, ensuring that scientists studying psychoactive substances can continue their work.

The Bill, which originated in the House of Lords, received its third reading on Monday 20th July, and will now progress to its first reading in the House of Commons later in the year. The Government has committed to introducing an amendment at this stage of the Bill’s progression to ensure that the concerns of the scientific community are satisfied.