The DSM Foundation is delighted to announce that drugs education charity founder and director Fiona Spargo-Mabbs OBE has been appointed to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. The ACMD is an advisory non-departmental public body that makes recommendations to the government on the control of dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs, including classification and scheduling under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and its regulations. It was in the news as recently as last week when the Home Office announced that Policing Minister Dame Angela Johnson had requested the ACMD make recommendations about whether ketamine should be reclassified as a Class A drug.
DSM Foundation Director, Founder and Dan’s mum Fiona Spargo-Mabbs said: “I feel incredibly honoured to be joining the ACMD, an influential group of experts working in an area that is very close to my heart, and am very much looking forward to being able to play a role alongside others in providing independent advice to government, and reducing risk and harm from drugs. Eleven years ago I lost my dear son Dan, and wanting to try and spare other young people and their families going through what we did, I set up a drugs education charity to support safer decision making in situations involving drugs – something Dan sadly didn’t get. Every year, both I and the DSM Foundation have been able to do more and more, both in terms of the work we do and the reach we have, and so now being able to be part of the ACMD team with such combined expertise, the potential is there to make a difference to many, many more.”
The appointment announcement can be seen at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/acmd-appoints-10-leading-experts
