Dangerous Drugs Act 1920
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1920 c. 46 |
| Year | 1920 |
Dangerous Drugs Act, 1920.
(10 & 11 Geo. 5.) CHAPTER 46.
An Act to regulate the Importation, Exportation, Manufacture, Sale and Use of Opium and other Dangerous Drugs.
[16th August 1920]
Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Part I.
Raw Opium.
1 Restriction on importation of raw opium.
1. It shall not be lawful for any person to import or bring into the United Kingdom any raw opium except under licence and into approved ports.
2 Restriction on exportation of raw opium.
(1) It shall not he lawful for any person to export from the United Kingdom any raw opium except under licence and from approved ports and except in packages marked in the prescribed maimer with an indication of the contents thereof.
(2) If at any time the importation of raw opium into a foreign country is prohibited or restricted by the laws of that country, there shall, while that prohibition or restriction is in force, be attached to every licence which is issued by a Secretary of State under this Act authorising the export of raw opium from the United Kingdom, such conditions as appear to him necessary for preventing or restricting, as the case may be, the exportation of raw opium from the United Kingdom to that country during such time as the importation of raw opium into that country is so prohibited or restricted, and any such licences issued before, the prohibition or restriction came into force shall, if a Secretary of State by order so directs, be deemed to be subject to the like conditions.
3 Power to regulate the production of and dealing in raw opium.
3. Provision may be made by regulations for controlling or restricting the production, possession, sale and distribution of raw opium, and in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, for prohibiting the production, possession, sale or distribution of raw opium except by persons licensed or otherwise authorised in that behalf.
Part II.
Prepared Opium.
4 Prohibition of exportation or importation of prepared opium.
4. It shall not be lawful for any person to import or bring into, or to export from, the United Kingdom any prepared opium.
5 Penalty for manufacturing, selling, using, &c., prepared opium.
5. If any person—
he shall be guilty of an offence against this Act.
Part III.
Cocaine, Morphine, &c.
6 Restriction on import and export of cocaine, &c.
6. It shall not be lawful to import or bring into, or to export from, the United Kingdom any drug to which this Part of this Act applies except under licence.
7 Control of manufacture and sale of cocaine, &c.
(1) For the purpose of preventing the improper use of the drugs to which this Part of this Act applies, provision may be made by regulations for controlling the manufacture, sale, possession and distribution of those drugs, and in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, for—
(a ) prohibiting the manufacture of any drug to which this Part of this Act applies except on premises licensed for the purpose and subject to any conditions specified in the licence; and
(b ) prohibiting the manufacture, sale or distribution of any such drug except by persons licensed or otherwise authorised under the regulations and subject to any conditions specified in the licence or authority; and
(c ) regulating the issue by medical practitioners of prescriptions containing any such drug and the dispensing of any such prescriptions; and
(d ) requiring persons engaged in the manufacture, sale or distribution of any such drug to keep such books and furnish such information either in writing or otherwise as may be prescribed.
(2) The regulations under this section shall provide for authorising any person who lawfully keeps open shop for the retailing of poisons in accordance with the provisions of the Pharmacy Act, 1868 , as amended by the Poisons and Pharmacy Act, 1908 ,—
(a ) to manufacture at the shop in the ordinary course of his retail business any preparation, admixture, or extract of any drug to which this Part of this Act applies; or
(b ) to carry on at the shop the business of retailing, dispensing, or compounding any such drug;
subject to the power of the Secretary of State to withdraw the authorisation in the case of a person who has been convicted of an offence against this Act or of an offence under the enactments relating to the customs as applied by this Act, and who cannot, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, properly be allowed to carry on the business of manufacturing or selling or distributing, as the case may be, any such drug:
Provided that the Secretary of State shall, before withdrawing the authorisation in the case of any such person consult the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.
(3) Nothing in any regulations made under this section shall be taken to authorise the sale, or the keeping of an open shop for the retailing, dispensing, or compounding of, poisons by any person who is not qualified in that behalf under,...
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