Poisons Act 1972^[1]
Dates
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to poisons.
Citation	1972 c. 66
Territorial extent	England and Wales and Scotland^[2]
Royal assent	9 August 1972
Commencement	1 February 1978^[3]^[4]
Other legislation
Amended by	Control of Poisons and Explosives Precursors Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/966) European Qualifications (Health and Social Care Professions) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/3101) Dental Qualifications (Recognition) Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/1496) Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) Criminal Procedure (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1995 (c. 40) Pharmacists (Fitness to Practise) Act 1997 (c. 19)
Relates to	Pharmacy and Poisons Act 1933 Pharmacy Act 1868
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Poisons Act 1972^[1] (c. 66) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom making provisions for the sale of non-medicinal poisons, and the involvement of local authorities and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in their regulation.

The act refers to the Pharmacy and Poisons Act 1933, and the Poisons List. Non-medical poisons are divided into two separate lists. List one substances may only be sold by a registered pharmacist, and list two substances may be sold by a registered pharmacist or a licensed retailer.

Further provisions are made, to enable the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to enforce the compliance with the act by pharmacists, and impose fines for breaches.

Local authorities are responsible for vetting applications for list two substances, for law enforcement and control of licensed premises.

Section 7

The Poison Rules 1982 (SI 1982/218) were made under this section.

References

Clifford Walsh and Peter Allsop (eds). "Poisons Act 1972". Current Law Statutes Annotated 1972. Sweet & Maxwell. Stevens & Sons. London. W Green & Son. Edinburgh. 1972. Chapter 66. Google
"The Poisons Act 1972". Halsbury's Statutes of England. Third Edition. Butterworths. London. 1973. Volume 42: Continuation Volume 1972: [1] [2]. Page 1315.
Halsbury's Statutes. Fourth Edition. Volume 28. Title "Medicine and Pharmacy". Page 548.
Halsbury's Laws of England. Fourth Edition Reissue. 2006. Volume 30(2). Paragraphs 285, 286, 288 and 294 and passim. Pages 315 to 319, 321, 324, 327 to 329 and 331.
Gradwohl's Legal Medicine. Third Edition. John Wright & Sons Ltd. 1976. Pages 440, 447 and 448.
Joe Jacob (ed). Speller's Law relating to Hospitals and Kindred Institutions. Sixth Edition. H. K. Lewis & Co. Ltd. 1978. Pages 142, 152, 155 and 156.
Dale and Appelbe's Pharmacy and Medicines Law. Tenth Edition. Pharmaceutical Press. 2013. Pages xxii, xxxviii, 140, 245 to 249, 256, 268, 304, 305, 330, 331, 465 and 479. J R Dale and G E Appelbe. "The Poisons Act, List and Rules". Pharmacy Law and Ethics. Second Edition. 1979. Chapter 17 at page 168 et seq.
Pharmacy Law and Practice. Third Edition. 2001. Chapter 17. p 160. Fourth Edition. 2006. Chapter 18. p 188. Fifth Edition. 2013. Chapter 18. p 275.
The Laws of Scotland: Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia. Title "Medicines, Poisons and Drugs".

^ ^a ^b The citation of this act by this short title was authorised by section 14(1) of this act.
^ The Poisons Act 1972, section 14(2)
^ The Poisons Act 1972, section 13(1); the Medicines Act 1968 (Commencement No. 7) Order 1977 (SI 1977/2128).
^ As to the commencement of this Act, see further Halsbury's Statutory Instruments, 1983, vol 13, pp 268 & 360; Halsbury's Statutes of England, 3rd Ed, 1985, Cumulative Supplement Part 1, para 1115; Halsbury's Laws of England, 4th Ed, vol 30, p 315; Northern Ireland Agriculture, p 132; Williams, Animal Feeding Stuffs Legislation of the UK, 1987, p 9.