Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Rejected
Paragraph: 20
Reform 1971 Act and 2001 Regulations, integrating public health with law enforcement.
Recommendation
We recommend that the UK Government reform the 1971 Act and 2001 Regulations in a way that promotes a greater role for public health in our response to drugs, whilst maintaining our law enforcement to tackling the illicit production and supply of controlled drugs.
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for reform, stating it has no plans for fundamental changes to the 1971 Act or 2001 Regulations, believing existing legislation supports a balanced public health and law enforcement approach.
Paragraph Reference:
20
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The Government does not accept this recommendation and has no plans for fundamental reform of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 or the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. A balanced public health and law enforcement response to drugs is compatible with both the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, including the range of interventions detailed in this response. The overall legislative framework on illicit drugs simultaneously allows for the control of harmful substances and enables appropriate access to those drugs for legitimate purposes, including medicinal, research and in exceptional cases industrial, which reflects the need to take a balanced, system-wide approach to tackling drug misuse in the UK. There is a substantial body of scientific and medical evidence to show that controlled drugs are harmful and can damage people’s mental and physical health, and our wider communities. Current legislation remains instrumental in ensuring the public are safe from dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs. The Government keeps drug legislation under review and will introduce new legislation where it is appropriate to do so, taking into account advice from the ACMD. In 2016 the Government responded to the rise of new threats of emerging psychoactive substances by introducing the Psychoactive Substances Act. The Government has also implemented ACMD advice to introduce generic controls under the Misuse of Drugs Act to better safeguard public health against the criminal supply of synthetic drugs.