Two internationally recognised academics have joined the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). Professor Steve Allsop and Professor Keith Humphreys were appointed on 1 February 2026, with the announcement published on 3 February. Allsop is Emeritus Professor at Curtin University’s National Drug Research Institute; Humphreys is the Esther Ting Memorial Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Stanford University. (gov.uk)
The additions build on last year’s expansion of the council. Ten members were appointed in January 2025 and a further four in February 2025, strengthening expertise across pharmacology, public health, enforcement and social science. Today’s announcement explicitly links back to that 2025 recruitment round. (gov.uk)
The ACMD is a statutory advisory non‑departmental public body established under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Ministers-ordinarily the Home Secretary-must consult the council before laying orders or making regulations under the Act. The council’s duty is to keep drug misuse under review and advise on measures, including potential legal changes. (gov.uk)
The Home Office confirms the appointments have been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. The current Code was republished on 30 October 2025 and the Cabinet Office updated the overview page on 21 January 2026; it sets principles of merit, openness, fairness and assurance for regulated roles. (gov.uk)
Composition and leadership have also shifted at the start of the year. The ACMD lists 23 current members and now includes both Allsop and Humphreys; Professor David Wood is recorded as chair. Wood took up the role on 1 January 2026 following a December 2025 announcement. (gov.uk)
For policy teams, the timing matters. The ACMD’s consolidated annual report for 2023–2025 highlights a busy advice pipeline moving into 2026, including forthcoming work on internet‑facilitated drug markets, assessments of drug harms in ethnic minority and LGBT+ communities, a review of the 2018 rescheduling of cannabis‑based products for medicinal use, work on the drivers of cocaine use, and an updated harms assessment for ketamine. (gov.uk)
The same report records recent outputs ranging from nitrous oxide and synthetic cathinones to xylazine and nitazenes, alongside an updated standard operating procedure clarifying how the council reaches classification advice. The two new members-bringing prevention, treatment and psychiatric research expertise-join as that programme continues into 2026. (gov.uk)