About the committee
The Psychoactive Substances Expert Advisory Committee (PSEAC) was established in 2014 under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013. It provides expert advice to the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority regarding safety issues around proposed psychoactive products.
The role of the PSEAC is to:
- evaluate, with regard to the results of trials, psychoactive products to assess whether they should be approved for use by individuals
- advise the Authority about whether a psychoactive product should or should not be approved for use by individuals
- increase public awareness of the committee's work in relation to psychoactive substances, for example, by the timely release of papers, reports and recommendations.
Committee membership
The PSEAC may comprise up to 6 members. Between them, members must have appropriate expertise in:
- pharmacology
- toxicology
- neurosciences
- medicine
- any other areas the Authority considers relevant.
Evaluation process
The Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 requires that when evaluating psychoactive products, the PSEAC must have regard to:
- the specific effects of the product, including pharmacological, psychoactive, and toxicological effects
- the risks, if any, to public health
- the potential for use of the product to cause death
- the potential for the product to create physical or psychological dependence
- the likelihood of misuse of the product
- the potential appeal of the product to vulnerable populations
- any other matters that the Authority considers relevant
More information on the criteria for the evaluation process and the role of the PSEAC can be found in sections 11 and 12 of the Act.
