S.I. No. 29/1979 - Misuse of Drugs (Exemption) Order, 1979.

S.I. No. 29 of 1979.

MISUSE OF DRUGS (EXEMPTION) ORDER, 1979.

The Minister for Health in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977 (No. 12 of 1977) hereby orders as follows:—

1. This Order may be cited as the Misuse of Drugs (Exemption) Order, 1979.

2. This Order shall come into operation on the 1st day of May, 1979.

3. Subsection (1) of section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977 , shall not apply to the controlled drugs specified in the Schedule to this Order.

SCHEDULE.

1. (a) Any preparation of one or more of the substances to which this paragraph applies (not being a preparation designed for administration by injection) when compounded with one or more other ingredients and which contains a total of not more than 100 milligrammes of the substance or substances (calculated as base) per dosage unit and which in the case of an undivided preparation has a total concentration of not more than 2.5 per cent. of the substance or substances (calculated as base).

(b) The substances to which this paragraph applies are acetyldihydrocodeine, codeine, dihydrocodeine, ethylmorphine (3—ethylmorphine), nicodicodine (6-nicotinoyldihydrocodeine), norcodeine, pholcodine and their respective salts.

2. Any preparation of cocaine containing not more than 0.1 per cent. of cocaine calculated as cocaine base, being a preparation which is compounded with one or more other ingredients in such a way that the cocaine cannot be readily recovered.

3. Any preparation of medicinal opium or of morphine containing in either case not more than 0.2 per cent. of morphine calculated as anhydrous morphine base, being a preparation which is compounded with one or more other ingredients in such a way that the opium or morphine cannot be readily recovered.

4. Any preparation of difenoxin containing, per dosage unit, not more than 0.5 milligrammes of difenoxin and a quantity of atropine sulphate equivalent to at least 5 per cent. of the dose of difenoxin.

5. Any preparation of diphenoxylate containing, per dosage unit, not more than 2.5 milligrammes of diphenoxylate calculated as base, and a quantity of atropine sulphate equivalent to at least 1 per cent. of the dose of diphenoxylate.

6. Any powder of ipecacuanha and opium comprising 10 per cent. powdered opium, 10 per cent. powdered ipecacuanha root, both well mixed with 80 per cent. of any other powdered ingredient which contains no controlled drug.

7. Any preparation of propiram containing, per dosage unit, not more than 100 milligrammes of propiram calculated as base and which is compounded with at least the same amount, by weight, of methylcellulose.

8. Any preparation containing amylobarbitone, pentobarbitone or phenobarbitone, or their respective salts, whether alone or in combination, when compounded with one or more other active ingredients.

9. Any preparation, not being a preparation specified in paragraph 8, containing not more than 120 milligrammes of phenobarbitone, or its salts, per dosage unit and which in the case of an undivided preparation has a total concentration of not more than 2.5 per cent.

10. Any mixture containing one or more of the preparations specified in this Schedule, being a mixture of which none of the other ingredients is a controlled drug.

11. Poppy straw.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Health this 8th day of February, 1979.

CHARLES J. HAUGHEY,

Minister for Health.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

The effect of this Order is to exempt from the provisions of section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977 (which prohibits the possession of controlled drugs) the preparations specified in the Schedule to the Order. They are essentially preparations in which there are only small quantities of controlled drugs.