Rolleston Committee
Encyclopedia
In 1924, following concerns about the treatment of addicts by doctors, Smith Whitaker suggested to the Home Office
who suggested to the Ministry of Health
that the Rolleston Committee be formed under the chairmanship of Sir Humphry Rolleston to "... consider and advise as to the circumstances, if any, in which the supply of morphine
and heroin (including preparations containing morphine and heroin) to persons suffering from addiction to those drugs may be regarded as medically advisable, and as to the precautions which it is desirable that medical practitioners administering or prescribing morphine or heroin should adopt for the avoidance of abuse, and to suggest any administrative measures that seem expedient for securing observance of such precautions".
They allowed doctors to prescribe addictive drugs in a controlled manner, in the same way as they supplied other drugs. This became known as the 'British System' of drug supply and control.
They allowed addicts who could not be cured to be maintained on a, usually small, amount of the drug
They said that addiction was a middle class phenomenon, so criminal sanctions were unnecessary, as few criminal or lower class addicts were known.
They added that addiction to such drugs as heroin or morphine was a minor problem in Great Britain
.
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
who suggested to the Ministry of Health
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Health may refer to:*Ministry of Health *Ministry of Health *Ministry of Health *Ministry of Health...
that the Rolleston Committee be formed under the chairmanship of Sir Humphry Rolleston to "... consider and advise as to the circumstances, if any, in which the supply of morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
and heroin (including preparations containing morphine and heroin) to persons suffering from addiction to those drugs may be regarded as medically advisable, and as to the precautions which it is desirable that medical practitioners administering or prescribing morphine or heroin should adopt for the avoidance of abuse, and to suggest any administrative measures that seem expedient for securing observance of such precautions".
The Rolleston Report
The committee recommended that the gradual reduction in the amount of drug consumed was the best method of treatment and there there should be no restrictions on the doctors allowed to prescribe dangerous addictive drugs or their methods of treatment or the quantity they could supply, although authority to supply could be withdrawn from over prescribing doctors.They allowed doctors to prescribe addictive drugs in a controlled manner, in the same way as they supplied other drugs. This became known as the 'British System' of drug supply and control.
They allowed addicts who could not be cured to be maintained on a, usually small, amount of the drug
They said that addiction was a middle class phenomenon, so criminal sanctions were unnecessary, as few criminal or lower class addicts were known.
They added that addiction to such drugs as heroin or morphine was a minor problem in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.