Home > Dail Eireann debate. Written answer 205 - Medicinal products [Head shops]

[Oireachtas] Dail Eireann debate. Written answer 205 - Medicinal products [Head shops]. (08 Jul 2010)

External website: http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/2010/07/08/00167...


205. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Questions No. 130 of 1 July 2010, if the Irish Medicines Board have applied or sought to apply sanctions against any head shop owners or online head shop owners in response to the unlicensed sale by them of psychoactive substances that fall within the scope of medicinal products legislation; the number and nature of any attempts by the IMB to do so; and the outcome in each case. [31365/10] 

Minister for Health and Children (Deputy Mary Harney): Certain products available in head shops have been reported to have anaesthetic effects and therefore may be considered to fall within the scope of the medicinal products legislation. Any such product is considered to be an unauthorised medicinal product and, accordingly, the IMB has been taking action to have these products removed from the market.
 
Additionally, the substances Fluorotropacocaine, which is contained in the product WHACK, and Dimethocaine, which is contained in the product AMPLIFIED, are considered to be medicinal products and as such they are enforced by the Irish Medicines Board. These substances are not listed in the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. No. 200 of 2010).
 
The Irish Medicines Board has visited 30 Head Shops in relation to these products. Of these, one outlet was found to have the product WHACK and another was found to have the product AMPLIFIED. Six outlets had products that were found or suspected to contain substances with anaesthetic effect. The products concerned include RAZ, Snowblow, Pure NRG, Ivory Wave, Sextacy and White Ice and are suspected to contain the active pharmaceutical substance, Lidocaine (also known as Lignocaine). 15 of the outlets have also been found to be supplying other medicinal products for abuse purposes. These mainly involved substances that are contained in prescription-only medicinal products for erectile dysfunction. These are unauthorised products.
 
Under the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995, as amended, the sanctions available to the IMB are:
 
A person who contravenes a regulation under section 32 of the Act shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable
 
(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding €2,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or a combination of both,
 
(b) on conviction on indictment
 
(i) in the case of a first offence, to a fine not exceeding €120,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or a combination of both,
(ii) in the case of any subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding €300,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or a combination of both.
 
The Irish Medicines Board is currently finalising its investigations in these cases and will make a decision on further action. The Irish Medicines Board has initiated prosecutions against four companies and one individual.
The Irish Medicines Board has visited 30 Head Shops in relation to these products. Of these, one outlet was found to have the product WHACK and another was found to have the product AMPLIFIED. Six outlets had products that were found or suspected to contain substances with anaesthetic effect. The products concerned include RAZ, Snowblow, Pure NRG, Ivory Wave, Sextacy and White Ice and are suspected to contain the active pharmaceutical substance, Lidocaine (also known as Lignocaine). 15 of the outlets have also been found to be supplying other medicinal products for abuse purposes. These mainly involved substances that are contained in prescription-only medicinal products for erectile dysfunction. These are unauthorised products.
 
Under the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995, as amended, the sanctions available to the IMB are:
 
A person who contravenes a regulation under section 32 of the Act shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable
 
(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding €2,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or a combination of both,
 
(b) on conviction on indictment
(i) in the case of a first offence, to a fine not exceeding €120,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or a combination of both,
(ii) in the case of any subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding €300,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or a combination of both.
 
The Irish Medicines Board is currently finalising its investigations in these cases and will make a decision on further action. The Irish Medicines Board has initiated prosecutions against four companies and one individual.
The Irish Medicines Board has visited 30 Head Shops in relation to these products. Of these, one outlet was found to have the product WHACK and another was found to have the product AMPLIFIED. Six outlets had products that were found or suspected to contain substances with anaesthetic effect. The products concerned include RAZ, Snowblow, Pure NRG, Ivory Wave, Sextacy and White Ice and are suspected to contain the active pharmaceutical substance, Lidocaine (also known as Lignocaine). 15 of the outlets have also been found to be supplying other medicinal products for abuse purposes. These mainly involved substances that are contained in prescription-only medicinal products for erectile dysfunction. These are unauthorised products.
 
Under the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995, as amended, the sanctions available to the IMB are:
 
A person who contravenes a regulation under section 32 of the Act shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable
 
(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding €2,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or a combination of both,
 
(b) on conviction on indictment
 
(i) in the case of a first offence, to a fine not exceeding €120,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or a combination of both,
(ii) in the case of any subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding €300,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or a combination of both.
 
The Irish Medicines Board is currently finalising its investigations in these cases and will make a decision on further action. The Irish Medicines Board has initiated prosecutions against four companies and one individual.

 

Vol.715 No. 2
Written Answers – Medicinal Products
Thursday, 8 July 2010

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