Government remains opposed to downgrading ecstasy

Ministers reiterated their opposition to ecstasy being downgraded today amid claims that Government advisers will recommend it be made a class B drug.

The Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs could urge Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to move the dance drug from Class A when it reports later this month.

Ecstasy use is linked to around 30 deaths a year, up from 10 a year in the early 1990s. Fatalities are caused by massive organ failure from overheating or the effects of drinking too much water.

The Home Office said it "firmly believed" ecstasy should remain in Class A.

A spokesman said: "Ecstasy can and does kill unpredictably; there is no such thing as a 'safe dose'. The Government firmly believes that ecstasy should remain a Class A drug.

"The Home Office has not requested ACMD to review the classification of ecstasy (MDMA). It is doing it at the request of the Science and Technology Committee and has yet to present its findings to the Home Office and the Science and Technology Committee."

The ACMD's chairman, Professor David Nutt, has suggested ecstasy is less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco and "probably shouldn't be" in class A.

Last year the ACMD said cannabis should remain in class C based on health risks, but its views were rejected by ministers.

A Science and Technology Committee report said drugs should be rated purely on the basis of health and social risks and not legal punishments.

The MPs also said alcohol and tobacco should be included in the rating system.

Downgrading would mean lesser sentences for dealers, who currently face up to life in prison.