Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 44
44
Rejected
Paragraph: 162
Establish a national drug checking service in England for anonymous postal sample submission.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care jointly establish a national drug checking service in England to enable people to submit drug samples by post anonymously. We recommend the Home Office consult stakeholders on how best to implement the service. In particular, we recommend that it learn lessons from the Welsh Government and Welsh partners on the experience of WEDINOS. We believe that, ultimately, a UK-wide drug checking service would provide the most effective approach, and we therefore encourage the UK Government and devolved Governments to consider jointly establishing such a service.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government rejected the recommendation to establish a national drug checking service, stating it implies approval of illicit drug use and is contrary to their zero-tolerance strategy, though it highlighted existing systems for detecting new psychoactive substances.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
162
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government · verbatim extract
Rejected
The Government does not accept this recommendation. The Government already facilitates Drug Checking Facilities provided that the possession and supply of controlled drugs are licensed by the Home Office Drugs and Firearms Licensing Unit or, exceptionally, relevant exemptions under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 may apply. Ministers are clear that drug checking services must not condone drug use and should only be delivered where licensed and operated responsibly in line with Government policy to ensure that they discourage drug use and signpost potential users to treatment and support. We welcome potential applicants who wish to apply for a licence and who share these principles. We recommend the expansion of on-site drug checking services at temporary events such as music festivals and within the night-time economy. We recommend that the Home Office establish a dedicated licensing scheme for drug checking at such events before the start of the summer 2024 festival season. The scheme must devolve the power to grant licences to local authorities.
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