Further response letter from Sarah Jones MP to the ACMD (accessible)
Updated 11 May 2026
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Professor David Wood Chair,
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD)
C/o ACMD Secretariat
1st Floor, Peel Building
2 Marsham Street London
SW1P 4DF
By e-mail only: ACMD@homeoffice.gov.uk
11 May 2026
Dear David,
Further response to the ACMD advice on Semi-synthetic Cannabinoids: Cannabinoids related to tetrahydro-cannabinol and cannabidiol.
I would like to again thank the ACMD for its advice on semi-synthetic cannabinoids (SSCs) and the related non-synthetic substances, the THC precursors (or cannabinoid acids) Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A) and Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid B (THCA-B), which I will together refer to as ‘THCAs’. In terms of legislation, the ACMD recommended the control of named SSCs, the generic control of SSCs, and the control of THCAs as Class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (‘the 1971 Act’), Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (‘the 2001 Regulations’) and the Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (England, Wales and Scotland) Order 2015 (‘the 2015 Order’). The ACMD also recommended that the Government consult with stakeholders on the generic control proposed for SSCs.
My predecessor responded to the report on 20 August 2025. She set out the Government’s intention to implement the ACMD’s legislative recommendations subject to the recommended stakeholder consultation. She additionally announced the Government’s intention to consult stakeholders on the control of THCAs, given their longstanding status as uncontrolled substances. I am writing following that consultation to set out the Government’s intentions.
There were no substantive responses in respect of the generic control of SSCs. We therefore intend to proceed in accordance with the ACMD’s recommendations.
In respect of THCAs, there were three substantive responses. Two expanded further on the use of THCAs in research. The Government has set out its intention with respect to research with Schedule 1 drugs in its response of 16 July 2025 to the ACMD’s ‘part 2’ recommendations on barriers to research.
One response expressed concern about the potential effect of the control of THCAs on consumer cannabidiol (CBD) products that may contain small quantities of THCAs and other products in what is described as the “health food/ hemp and CBD products sector”. Consumer CBD products can be exempt from most controls under the 1971 Act if they meet the conditions for exemption under the 2001 Regulations, as set out in the Government’s guidance, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cannabis-cbd-and-other-cannabinoids-drug-licensing-factsheet.
However, given the evidence provided by the ACMD on the potential harmfulness of THCAs, (as they can be converted to THC, which is known to have harmful effects, by heating) and the appropriateness of control, and open-source evidence of the sale of THCAs in their own right, the Government has decided to proceed with the control of THCAs as Class B named substances under the 1971 Act, Schedule 1 to the 2001 Regulations and the 2015 Order.
Very best wishes,
Sarah Jones MP
Minister of State for Policing and Crime