Tynwald yesterday voted in favour of the Department of Health’s Order under The Misuse of Drugs Act 1976, to ban the ‘legal high’ 5,6-Meth-y-lene-dioxy-2-amino-in-date, often simply referred to as MDAI. The ban will come into force from Sunday, 1 January 2012. The Order was put before Tynwald by Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK, following consultation with the Isle of Man’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), which was established under the 1976 Act. The ‘Misuse of Drugs (Controlled Drug Specification) (MDAI) Order 2011’ makes MDAI a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1976. The move comes almost exactly two years since the ‘legal high’ mephedrone was made illegal on the Island. The ban follows the tragic death of an Isle of Man teenager in April this year, the first recorded death within the British Isles resulting from taking MDAI. Following this, former MHK for Douglas South, Mr Bill Malarkey, in his then capacity as Chair of the Department of Home Affairs Drug and Alcohol Steering Group, contacted the ACMD to ask them to consider if they wanted to recommend a ban of MDAI. Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK, said: “Whilst it has been some eight months since the tragic death of a local teenager, the ACMD has had to carefully consider all of the facts in determining whether a ban should be put in place. The ACMD recognises that MDAI is one of many legal highs which give cause for concern and research has had to be undertaken into MDAI to enable the ACMD to make an informed recommendation. “The Coroner’s Inquest into the death was only heard on 8th November 2011. “Clearly, this is a dangerous substance, which has tragically cost the life of a young girl. The priority is the safety of our people, and I hope that in bringing this ban, we’re able to send a serious message and help prevent this substance causing any ill-effect to anyone in our community. That said, there should not be an interpretation by anyone that other ‘legal highs’ which are available to the public, but have not been banned, are in anyway safe to take.” The ACMD is a statutory body established to provide advice to Government on drugs and is made up of professional representatives from several Government Departments as well as a Pharmacist. Lesley Keenan, Deputy Chief Executive of the Department of Health and Chair of the Isle of Man’s ACMD said: “We have been in discussions with our counterparts in the UK, where MDAI has not yet been banned. Although their ‘New Psychoactive Substances Working Group’ has been monitoring the situation with MDAI, it doesn’t appear that a ban is likely to happen in the UK in the immediate future. Any such ban in the UK would automatically come into force in the Isle of Man, but as a UK ban doesn’t seem likely just yet, the Council agreed that it was time to act locally. “Banning a substance doesn’t mean it just disappears, so education and awareness raising are a must; to that end we’ve asked that the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Education and Children work together via the Drug and Alcohol Steering Group on a campaign outlining the need for people to take responsibility for their own decisions in respect of drugs, regardless of whether they are legal or illegal.” The Order will be effective for 12 months, after which time a further Order can be made, subject to Tynwald approval. - ENDS -