UK Law: The Classes

The class of a controlled drug is intended to reflect the harm associated with it. Parliament determines the relevant class based on the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (‘ACMD’). This classification, in turn, determines the penalties that are available to the courts when sentencing.

Class A

Class A drugs are considered by Parliament to be the most harmful. This category includes heroin, methadone, crack, cocaine, ecstasy, magic mushrooms and ‘crystal meth’. An offence involving a class A substance carries the harshest penalties.

Class B

Class B drugs are considered by Parliament to be less harmful than class A drugs and include amphetamines, barbiturates and dihydrocodeine. Certain class B drugs are reclassified to Class A if they have been prepared for injection. These include amphetamines, dihydrocodeine and codeine.

Class C

Class C drugs are considered by Parliament to be the least harmful of the controlled drugs. These include benzodiazepines, steroids and subutex (buprenorphine).