Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 167
167
Deferred
Consistently update prison drug testing methods to detect evolving New Psychoactive Substances.
Conclusion
The MoJ and HMPPS must consistently update prison drug testing methods to enable the detection of the constantly changing chemical makeup of these NPS, including synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic opioids. Robust data collection should be expanded to include drug purity/potency where feasible. (Recommendation, Paragraph 34)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response does not address the recommendation to update drug testing methods or expand data collection on NPS purity/potency. Instead, it rejects mandating universal take-home naloxone kits for prisoners, while detailing existing naloxone provisions and training for prison staff.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
We review our drug testing processes on an ongoing basis to ensure they effectively monitor the constantly changing chemical composition of psychoactive substances. As the Committee recognises in their report, the scale of the challenge and the pace of change is high. There is a high volume of new psychoactive substances (NPS) observed in the EU market, with over 1,000 being monitored by the EU Drugs Agency at the end of 2024, including more than 270 synthetic cannabinoids. To respond to this, we regularly review drug testing panels across all testing modalities and draw on data from multiple sources, including our own testing results, quarterly prevalence studies by our testing supplier, and wider intelligence from cross-government partners and international agencies. These insights help us to identify the most likely emergent substances in prison drug markets and prioritise adding them to our testing capabilities. They also inform our contractual drug panel review meetings with our supplier every six months, where decisions are made on a case- by-case basis, considering cost, supplier capability, and evidence of prevalence. As a result of this established process, we have expanded our panels to include the most common synthetic cannabinoids and introduced testing for synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and nitazenes. Drug detection is a key research and development priority for HMPPS, and our efforts, working with wider partners, will focus on identifying and testing future solutions that provide frontline staff with reliable, indicative testing results in near-real time. Our long-term aim is to find new detection methods that show increased resilience to future drug threats and are easy to use for frontline staff. Where an individual is tested to identify drug consumption, determining purity or potency is not possible from a urine sample, and it is too complex and unreliable to estimate the dose consumed. Testing of seizures provides a more feasible option but faces numerous technical, safety and commercial challenges. We are exploring the feasibility of additional testing mechanisms for high-priority seizures and whether these could contribute to the wider assessment of risks across the estate.
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