Call for tougher penalties in UK for possession of GHB and related substances

[S.J.B.]

Call for tougher penalties in UK for possession of chemsex drugs
Jamie Grierson
The Guardian
November 20th, 2020

Harsher penalties should be handed down for possession of a range of drugs used by gay men for chemsex, the government’s drug policy advisers have recommended, amid a raft of warnings on their dangers including a heightened risk of murder.

Chemsex is a colloquial term used to describe sex between men that occurs under the influence of drugs, which are taken immediately preceding or during sex to enhance the experience.

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and closely related substances, collectively referred to as GHBRS, give euphoric and stimulant-like effects. Recreational use is also higher among men who engage in chemsex.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has recommended reclassifying the GHRBs from class C to class B, meaning possession could be punished with up to five years in prison, rather than two years. Supply can lead to 14 years in prison for both class B and C drugs.

The advisers’ report laid out a series of significant dangers associated with GHBRS. In the UK GHBRS have been used to facilitate serious crimes, including murder, rape, sexual assault and robbery, the report said. It highlighted the cases of Stephen Port and Gerald Matovu as evidence of GHBRS being used as a murder weapon.

Read the full story here.

 

[Flynnal]

So I take it they're using this to attack gay men and framing it as a public health issue.

NB: I could murder someone under the influence of diazepam, barbiturates, or alcohol. GHB would be no different to the other 3 drugs I listed.

 

[SunriseChampion]

So they're increasing penalties for alcohol posession as well then? You know, since they're worried about violence and rape and all that.

Fucking wankers.