Decriminalization of drugs in the UK urged by health organizations

June 17, 2016

The Royal Society for Public Health and the Faculty of Public Health, two leading public health organizations in the United Kingdom, have called for the decriminalization of possession and personal use of all illegal drugs in the UK, saying that the government’s approach to drugs policy had failed. They added that more focus should be given to treatment and education instead. The Home Office defended its record, saying drug misuse had declined over the past 10 years.

According to their report called Taking A New Line On Drugs, criminal sanctions have failed to deter illegal drug use, undermined people’s life chances and could act as a barrier to addicts coming forward for help. It called for a “sea change in approach” and said the UK should adopt the Portuguese system under which people caught using drugs were offered treatment and support rather than being punished. However, dealers and suppliers would still be prosecuted.

The report also suggested that responsibility for drugs policy be transferred from the Home Office to the Department of Health. It also said drugs education should be made mandatory.

Royal Society for Public Health chief executive Shirley Cramer said: “For too long, UK and global drugs strategies have pursued reductions in drug use as an end in itself, failing to recognize that harsh criminal sanctions have pushed vulnerable people in need of treatment to the margins of society, driving up harm to health and well-being even as overall use falls.

“On many levels, in terms of the public’s health, the ‘war on drugs’ has failed.

“The time has come for a new approach, where we recognize that drug use is a health issue, not a criminal justice issue, and that those who misuse drugs are in need of treatment and support – not criminals in need of punishment.”

Baroness Molly Meacher, speaking on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform, welcomed the report.She said the current system “criminalizes some users of psychoactive drugs whilst very harmful psychoactive drugs including alcohol and tobacco remain legal”.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The UK’s approach on drugs remains clear – we must prevent drug use in our communities and support people dependent on drugs through treatment and recovery.

“At the same time, we have to stop the supply of illegal drugs and tackle the organized crime behind the drugs trade.”The spokesman said there had been a drop in drug misuse over the past decade and more people were recovering from dependency now than in 2009-2010.