Government plans to expand list of banned drugs

Officials are planning to broaden the list of banned drugs in Cayman as part of an enforcement crackdown, Health Minister Sabrina Turner said in Parliament Monday.

She made the announcement in reply to George Town West representative David Wight in Parliament Monday, when he inquired about the timeline for bringing proposed amendments to the House.

He specifically asked about addressing “hallucinogenic substances and amphetamine derivatives” not currently in the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Turner said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nick Gent is seeking advice from the newly commissioned Pharmaceutical Council on what specifically should be included in the amendment. 

“The chief medical officer advises me that the principal changes are likely to surround certain narcotic substances, especially fentanyl-class drugs, which are causing so much devastation in many parts of North America, and certain new amphetamine derivatives that have no recognised clinical utility,” she said.

She said they are paying particular mind to regulating substances that can be used in manufacturing controlled drugs.

“I am sure that we are all aware of the trend of manufacturing drugs when there are effective controls on the importation of controlled drugs,” she said.

Updating the list of controlled drugs to include derivatives is particularly important to ensure manufacturers who make minor molecular changes to a controlled substance can still be properly regulated.

“This work is progressing well, and we hope to present a revision of the two schedules to Cabinet for approval under Section 13 of the act soon,” she said.

Stricter penalties?

Wight also inquired about the stricter sentences the Opposition asked Turner about last year. These sentences would focus on the importation and distribution of fentanyl and other opioids.

Last September, Turner said in the House that penalties would be reviewed “to ensure they fit the circumstances of the case”.

Turner responded on Monday that the development of those penalties was a “work in progress” with legal counsel.