Themes | Building & Fire Safety | The Accountability Index

Online access to banned drugs

Accessibility of banned dangerous drugs (e.g., Dinitrophenol) online and the influence of social media in promoting their use.

Strongest theme matches

Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.

Indicative ranking
PFD report
97match
Jerrelle McKenzie
Jul 2020 · Bedfordshire and Luton
The deceased accessed Dinitrophenol (DNP), a drug banned in the UK since 1938 due to its harmful effects, via the internet, likely influenced by social media, leading to his overdose.
Matched on terms: acces, banned, drug
PFD report
85match
Jennifer Lacey
Oct 2018 · London Inner (West)
Concerns were raised about dangerous, addictive drugs being freely available online and prescribed by foreign doctors without patient contact or GP record access, potentially filled by UK pharmacies without adequate checks.
Matched on terms: acces, drug, online
PFD report
81match
Anna Phillips
Feb 2017 · Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
The deceased obtained a dangerous, unlicensed weight loss drug (2,4 Dinitrophenol) online, which is known to cause fatalities.
Matched on terms: drug, online
PFD report
73match
John Ellis
Nov 2024 · Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton
Inadequate controls and verification processes allowed a veterinary surgeon to easily access a lethal controlled drug, enabling him to misuse it for self-harm without scrutiny.
Matched on terms: acces, drug
Committee recommendation
72match
#165 - Significant shift towards undetected New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in prisons.
Justice Committee
We are deeply concerned by the significant shift towards the use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), most notably synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic opioids. Their popularity is due to their affordability, accessibility and their potency. In turning to these drugs, prisoners are able to “cheat the system” as current drug testing systems fail to detect them. Therefore, it is...
Matched on terms: acces, drug
PFD report
69match
David Giles
Jul 2014 · Birmingham & Solihull
The coroner raises concerns about the unrestricted availability of helium gas canisters, their standard size and lack of modified control valves, and the ease of accessing information on suicide methods using helium gas online.
Matched on terms: acces, online
PFD report
69match
Jason Houghton
Mar 2015 · Manchester (West)
The unregulated online supply and international importation of Class A drugs, specifically Diacetyl Morphine/Heroin in pill form via postal systems, poses a significant risk of future deaths.
Matched on terms: drug, online
PFD report
69match
Jacques Lakeman and Torin Lakeman
May 2015 · Manchester (West)
Easy access to anonymous 'Dark Web' sites for unregulated illicit drugs with unknown potency and content poses a significant and ongoing risk of future deaths.
Matched on terms: acces, drug
PFD report
69match
Bethany Shipsey
Feb 2018 · Worcestershire
The highly toxic and antidote-less drug DNP is readily available online and popular as a 'diet drug.' There is a lack of legislation making its possession or supply illegal.
Matched on terms: drug, online
PFD report
69match
Linda Gillchrest
Jan 2021 · County of Surrey
Unrestricted online access to detailed suicide instructions and the ability to purchase lethal quantities of substances without safeguards pose significant risks to vulnerable individuals.
Matched on terms: acces, online
PFD report
69match
Jamie O’Connor
Oct 2021 · Leicester City and South Leicestershire
Lack of a central medication tracking system, no mandatory GP contact, and insufficient consultation processes in online prescribing platforms risk over-prescription, drug interactions, and patient harm.
Matched on terms: drug, online
PFD report
69match
James Forryan
Mar 2022 · Inner North London
Easily accessible websites openly promote and provide guidance on suicide methods, contributing to deaths. There is a lack of sufficient regulation and enforcement against such harmful online content.
Matched on terms: acces, online
PFD report
69match
Adrian Gallagher
Dec 2023 · Cheshire
An online book providing explicit, step-by-step suicide instructions, including methods to avoid detection, is readily accessible with inadequate age verification, posing a significant risk to vulnerable individuals.
Matched on terms: acces, online
PFD report
69match
Nigel Dixon
Jun 2024 · Rutland and North Leicestershire
Failures in hospital-to-community pharmacy communication allowed a patient access to morphine after cessation. Additionally, the unregulated online sale of Zopiclone in large quantities presented a significant overdose risk.
Matched on terms: acces, online
PFD report
69match
Miranda Avanzi
Nov 2024 · Inner North London
The widespread and easily accessible availability of explicit, step-by-step suicide guides online, often without age verification, poses a significant risk, enabling vulnerable individuals to self-harm.
Matched on terms: acces, online
PFD report
65match
Catherine Findlay
Oct 2015 · Manchester (West)
Concerns about the availability and misuse of dangerous "research chemicals" like MXP, which are freely marketed online, consumed, and pose a life-threatening risk.
Matched on terms: online
Inquiry recommendation
65match
FR-20 - Age Verification Online
IICSA
The Inquiry recommends (as originally stated in its The Internet Investigation Report, dated March 2020) that the UK government introduces legislation requiring providers of online services and social media platforms to implement more stringent age verification measures.
Matched on terms: online
Inquiry recommendation
65match
106 - Online age verification legislation
IICSA
The government should introduce legislation requiring providers of online services and social media platforms to implement more stringent age verification techniques on all relevant devices.
Matched on terms: online
Committee recommendation
63match
#24 - Children are exposed to online harms through smartphone and social media use
Education Committee
It is clear that children are exposed to online harms when using smart phones to access the internet and, in particular, social media platforms. We support calls for tighter controls on the sale of smart phones to children under 16 years old in order to protect them from harm.
Matched on terms: acces, online
PFD report
61match
Christopher Scott
Nov 2013 · Wiltshire & Swindon
The 'legal high' AMT is readily available for purchase despite clear evidence of its deadly effects, raising concerns about its unregulated status and accessibility to the public.
Matched on terms: acces
PFD report
61match
Hazel Polkinghorn
Feb 2014 · Central Lincolnshire
The easy online acquisition of dangerous non-prescribed medication, like Pentobarbital, poses a significant risk of future deaths, necessitating government intervention to regulate such websites.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
61match
Victoria Meppen-Walter
Feb 2014 · Manchester (North)
Concerns were raised regarding the easy online availability and regulation of chloroquine, along with the associated risks of its misuse.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
61match
Darren Mindham
May 2016 · London South
Pentobarbital, a Schedule 3 drug, is frequently used in suicides due to less strict controls; stricter regulation could reduce suicide rates.
Matched on terms: drug
PFD report
61match
Lee Davies
Jun 2016 · South Wales Central
Hostel staff lacked specific training on monitoring and safeguarding residents found after illicit drug use, instead only focusing on overdose recognition, leaving at-risk individuals unmonitored.
Matched on terms: drug
PFD report
61match
Imran Mahmood
Sep 2019 · Staffordshire South
E-cigarettes in prison are being misused as heating devices for drug preparation, highlighting a significant safety risk related to both illicit drug use and potential fires.
Matched on terms: drug
PFD report
61match
Valdotas Gerbutavicius
Sep 2020 · East London
Inadequate legislation and a lack of internet sales prohibitions allow dangerous DNP 'diet pills' to remain readily available online, leading to numerous deaths among vulnerable people.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
61match
Jason Thompson
Nov 2020 · County Durham and Darlington
A website may be illegally promoting suicide methods, and a lethal substance is too easily available online under a misleading description, posing significant public safety risks.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
61match
Bethany Langton
Jul 2024 · Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire
The easy online availability of lethal Sodium Nitrite, combined with suppliers' unawareness of its misuse and slow removal of suicide-related online guidance, facilitates self-harm.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
57match
Luke Jacob Goodwin
Nov 2013 · West Yorkshire (Western)
The unrestricted sale of large helium canisters without flow control valves, combined with readily available online suicide guides, facilitates self-harm and raises serious safety concerns.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
57match
Samuel Duckworth
Oct 2014 · London (Inner South)
The ease of purchasing prescription-only drugs like Diazepam via the internet without medical supervision creates an ongoing risk for vulnerable individuals.
Matched on terms: drug
PFD report
57match
Thaker Hafid
May 2015 · Cardiff & the Vale of Glamorgan
The free availability and high potency/toxicity of the unlicensed 'designer drug' Acetylfentanyl, sold over the internet, poses a significant risk of future deaths.
Matched on terms: drug
PFD report
57match
Kristiyan Danailov
Sep 2019 · Dorset
Insufficient identity checks and obstacles exist to prevent vulnerable individuals from purchasing hazardous items online, indicating a lack of industry awareness about associated risks.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
57match
Deborah Headspeath
Nov 2019 · Suffolk
There's no unified database for tracking patient prescriptions, enabling uncoordinated medication supplies, especially from unregulated online prescribers. Advisory guidance for pharmacists on online prescriptions lacks mandatory adherence and clear sanctions.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
57match
Gemma Macdonald
Dec 2019 · Suffolk
The unchecked online availability of large quantities of medication, without systems to verify purchaser suitability or limit transaction amounts and frequency, poses a significant risk.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
57match
Lee Elliott
Nov 2020 · County of Cumbria
Toxic substances are easily and cheaply obtainable online without safeguards, and are advocated on websites as a method for suicide, leading to multiple deaths.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
57match
Neha Raju
Oct 2022 · Surrey
Lethal substances are readily available for purchase online and delivered within the UK without safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals from making such purchases.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
57match
Ania Sohail
Feb 2023 · Manchester North
Online prescribing lacks integrated systems to prevent over-prescription or inform GPs of dispensed medication, posing risks. Additionally, mental health care plans contained inaccuracies and staff lacked mandatory refresher training.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
57match
Chloe Macdermott
Dec 2023 · Inner West London
Online forums encourage suicide by providing methods without age restrictions or help signposting, and harmful content is not effectively removed. Lethal products are also easily purchased via international online retailers and delivered to the UK without effective border controls.
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
57match
William Helstrip
Jan 2024 · East Riding and Hull
The initial police investigation failed to properly probe drug sourcing via the "Dark Web" and Royal Mail, leading to the irretrievable loss of critical, time-sensitive evidence.
Matched on terms: drug
PFD report
57match
Mary Jones
Mar 2024 · Cheshire
Amazon continues to sell a "well known suicide book" which is easily accessible and quickly deliverable, despite awareness of its potential for harm and a previous coroner's intervention.
Matched on terms: acces
PFD report
57match
Deborah Cooper
Jul 2024 · Wiltshire & Swindon
A book detailing suicide methods is freely available on Amazon UK, and existing legislative frameworks, including the Suicide Act and Online Safety Act, appear ineffective in preventing its marketing and supply.
Matched on terms: online
Committee recommendation
54match
#21 - Implement robust age verification on social media platforms and urgently debate digital age of consent.
Education Committee
Although we welcome attempts by Ofcom to make platforms safer for children who use them, it is clear that the entire system surrounding the digital age of consent and how it is verified is not fit for purpose. Until there are robust age verification measures used on social media platforms, the digital age of consent will have little...
Matched on terms: acces, online
PFD report
53match
Anthony Garrett
Apr 2015 · Manchester (West)
Readily available and misused synthetic cannabinoids, despite warnings, are dangerous and caused a fatal cardiac event. Concerns were raised about their legal status and control.
Matched on classifier match
PFD report
53match
Elvis Snelson
Jan 2016 · Manchester City
The "legal high" acetylfentanyl, a highly potent opioid, poses significant risks due to users being unaware of its opioid nature, leading to dangerous sedation and respiratory depression.
Matched on classifier match
Committee recommendation
52match
#4 - Address unlicensed gambling sites targeting self-excluded users through new legislative powers.
Culture, Media and Sport Committee
We consider that while it will be important to monitor the size of the black market in response to greater regulation, more pertinent is the fact that, right now, a number of easily-accessible illegal sites are targeting some of those who have self-excluded from gambling. The proposed new power for the Gambling Commission to act against illegal operators...
Matched on terms: acces
Committee recommendation
52match
#30 - Enforce Online Safety Act against prostitution websites enabling multiple adverts, lacking identity verification.
Home Affairs Committee
In order to enforce the provisions in the Online Safety Act requiring websites to take action against trafficking occurring on their sites, Ofcom should take immediate and full enforcement action against any website advertising prostitution that enables the same phone number to be used in multiple adverts, fails to independently verify the age and identify of every individual...
Matched on terms: online
PFD report
49match
Matthew Flatman
Oct 2014 · Portsmouth & South East Hampshire
The slow process of proscribing the "legal high" MDAI/Gogaine poses a fatal risk, particularly to users with cardiac problems, requiring accelerated action.
Matched on classifier match
PFD report
49match
Arenijus Nedzelskies
Jan 2016 · South Lincolnshire
Specific synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (5F AKB-48, 5F PB-22) are not controlled substances, and the deceased's chronic misuse was not reported to the DVLA.
Matched on classifier match
PFD report
49match
Edward Capovila
Apr 2022 · County of Cumbria
Insufficient information regarding unusual methods of fentanyl misuse poses a significant risk of future deaths due to its potential for varied abuse.
Matched on classifier match
PFD report
49match
Kimberley Liu
Dec 2023 · Inner North London
Unregulated websites facilitate dangerous, unchecked sales of prescription-only sedative medications, actively instructing customers to evade detection, which exploits vulnerable individuals and poses a suicide risk.
Matched on classifier match
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