The UK is facing a “hidden crisis” of illegal drug addiction and
legalisation would increase deaths, compromise public safety, and
result in a massive cost to the taxpayer according to a major new
report.
New polling conducted by Opinium for the Centre for Social
Justice (CSJ) reveals that legalising cannabis would lead 24 per
cent of 18–34 year olds to try the drug for the first time,
resulting in up to ten per cent becoming addicted. This would
lead to some 355,000 new people needing treatment for
cannabis dependency, more than doubling the number currently
requiring such treatment. Keeping in line with current treatment
funding commitments, catering to this additional cohort would
cost up to £919 million over the next Parliament.
The Centre for Social Justice has found that the current
government's approach is failing the country.
The death toll from drugs is now at its highest level since
records began with 5,448 people losing their lives to drug
poisoning last year - a devastating 84 per cent higher than just
a decade ago. This is three times higher than fatal car crashes
and 22 times higher than fatalities from knife crime.
The new report, Still Ambitious for Recovery: How to
address illegal drug addiction and strengthen law enforcement's
role, reveals how the “staggering” number of drug-related
deaths is spiralling out of control and the increasing rates of
drug abuse are being “largely hidden” from both the public and a
complacent political class.
Shockingly, it warns that ONS figures of a tenth of working age
adults (9.5 per cent), just over three million people, using
drugs in the past 12 months, are “likely to be an underestimate”
of the true scale of the problem.
This comes as the CSJ's new polling by Opinium finds that two in
three (66 per cent) of UK police officers believe that cannabis
has been de facto decriminalised on the streets.
The CSJ's analysis highlights how the growing drug problem is
damaging the country's future with, over the past decade, more
than 1,000 babies born each year suffering from neonatal
withdrawal symptoms because of maternal drug use. At the same
time, more than one in ten men are now showing signs of drug
dependency.
The report points to illegal drugs becoming increasingly potent
and perilous. Synthetic drugs are increasing in use. Deaths from
novel opiates in 2023 surged to 17 times the toll in 2021.
Alarmingly, nearly a quarter of those who injected drugs in the
past year experienced a non-fatal overdose - a 16 per cent
increase from 2013.
The report slams the siren call of liberalisation of drug laws by
emphasising the clear failures across the world.
British Columbia, Canada, decriminalised the personal possession
of small amounts of drugs last year, yet drug deaths in that
province have reached their highest point with more than 2,500
lives lost.
Legalisation of cannabis in cities such as Vancouver and New York
“has not eliminated the illicit market” and “cheaper and more
potent products continue to thrive” under the control of illegal
drug dealers.
Even Portugal, often held up as the way forward, has seen
deaths creep up again, and the architect of the whole
decriminalisation programme has made clear decriminalisation is
not a silver bullet.
The report also warns against the “legal knots” created by
Scotland's upcoming Safer Drug Consumption Facilities (so-called
shooting galleries), including paving the way for
potential abuse of the legal defence of travelling to an
SDCF if caught in possession.
The CSJ call for resources to be “put behind what we already know
works: funding the treatment sector” - a sector that has faced
swingeing cuts. Government investment in addiction services and
rehabilitation is currently 60 per cent lower than in 2012.
Its analysis of Care Quality Commission (CQC) data shows how the
North West hosts 30 facilities specialising in residential
substance misuse; the North East, where drug misuse death rate is
the highest in the country, has just three.
The CSJ's key recommendations include:
- National roll-out of Out of Court Disposal Officers to help
police direct drug users to more suitable treatment
- Waste water testing and tracking non-fatal overdose, as in
the USA, to better determine police and health resources
- Public health campaign targeting young middle class users in
line with Swedish approach
- Bolstering the treatment sector
Sophia Worringer, Deputy Policy Director of the CSJ, said:
“The evidence could not be clearer. We are failing to address
illegal drug use. Thousands of people are dying every year due to
a clear lack of care and treatment.
“Pretending liberalisation is the answer is plainly
wrong. Everywhere you look, it has not stamped out
the illegal drug market or acted as a silver
bullet to reduce drug deaths, or drug use.
“Only by investing in treatment of addiction can we begin to end
the scourge of illegal drug use in the United Kingdom.”
, CEO of Labour Together and former MP, writing in
the foreword, said:
“Addiction is a crisis that affects every corner of our society.
It destroys lives, devastates families, and creates ripple
effects that are felt in our communities, workplaces, and public
services.
“We need action, and we need it now. We need properly funded
addiction recovery services, better mental health support, and a
stronger focus on prevention. These aren't just policy
recommendations; they are lifelines for people at their most
vulnerable.
“To those in my party who say the answer is for law enforcement
to wash their hands of the problem by removing legal frameworks
altogether, I say that is not the solution. The answer lies in
harnessing the power of diversion, where law enforcement, health
services, and community organisations work together to channel
individuals into treatment and recovery rather than
punishment.”
MP, Vice Chair of the
Centre for Social Justice, said:
“I used to be supportive of the liberalisation of drug laws, but
after visiting other countries that have followed this direction,
I now have reservations about the success of these policies in
tacking the root causes of addiction. We must ensure our
laws give people the best possible chance to live a life free
from drug misuse and this principle must be at the forefront of
any future drug policies.”
ENDS
Original polling conducted by Opinium Research for The
Centre for Social Justice of 2,116 UK adults, between
13th November and 15th November, 2024. Opinium
Research is a member of the British Polling Council, Market
Research Society, and ESOMAR.
Original polling conducted by Opinium for The Centre for Social
Justice of 250 police officers in the UK, between
14th October and 19th October,
2024. Opinium is a member of the British Polling Council, Market
Research Society, and ESOMAR.
