Three additional benzodiazepines to become class C drugs

Crime and Policing Minister Kit Malthouse has announced that three benzodiazepines will be made Class C drugs.

Flualprazolam, flunitrazolam and norfludiazepam will be controlled as Class C drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and placed in Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, following a recommendation from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).

As of March 2020, there had been 12 flualprazolam-associated deaths in the UK.

Crime and Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said:

“Illegal drugs ruin lives and corrode the foundations of our society.

“It’s clear from the expert advice that we have received that these drugs can cause serious harm, which is why we are taking this action.”