More than 20 dangerous substances have been banned by the
government as efforts stepped up to combat the increasing drug
threat and make our streets safer.
Significant efforts are being made to combat the threat of
devastating synthetic drugs, which the UK government warns is
increasing.
Measures are being stepped up across government to better equip
policing, healthcare and Border Force to deal with this growing
issue, as well as contributing to international efforts to better
protect communities.
Latest figures show since June 2023, there have been at least 400
drug-related deaths across the UK linked to nitazenes, a type of
synthetic opioid, and this figure is expected to increase in the
coming years.
As part of the effort to make our streets safer, legislation will
come into force today (Wednesday 15 January) which bans xylazine,
as well as several other synthetic drugs that can be hundreds of
times more potent than heroin, meaning tougher sentences for drug
dealers.
Xylazine, often known as ‘tranq', is a high-strength veterinary
sedative, which has increasingly been used in combination with
opioids such as heroin. Its effects can leave users prone to
non-healing skin lesions and more liable to overdose.
The UK is also training Border Force dogs to detect a range of
nitazenes and fentanyl – currently the only country in the world
doing so – to stop these substances entering the country in the
first place.
As of December 2024, police officers in forces across the country
are now trained to carry and administer naloxone – a lifesaving
medicine that reverses the effects of opioid overdose. The
government is working closely with the National Police Chiefs'
Council to see the provision rolled out across most forces.
The National Crime Agency is also working in partnership with
policing and Border Force to ensure that all lines of enquiry are
prioritised and vigorously pursued to stem any supply of
nitazenes and fentanyl to and within the UK.
Policing Minister Dame said:
Synthetic drugs cause devastation wherever they are found – to
individuals, to families, to our town centres and our
communities.
I have been concerned about the growing presence of these drugs
on UK streets and I don't think enough has been done in recent
years to get a grip on it. Stepping up efforts to tackle
this threat will form a key part of this government's approach to
drugs, which we hope to set out later this year.
As part of our Plan for Change and mission to make our streets
safer, we are dedicated to driving down drug misuse and harms
through prevention and treatment while acting quickly to stop the
criminals peddling these harmful substances.
As part of the international effort to combat these substances,
the UK is spearheading a workstream under the US-led Global
Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats which will focus on
how governments across the world can control the availability of
these drugs through legislation and further strengthen efforts at
the border by sharing intelligence.
This is a multi-nation effort run by core coalition countries,
who are developing their own initiatives that aim to disrupt
supply chains and enhance public health interventions.
The government also has an enhanced early warning system, which
is designed to improve our ability to respond to emerging drug
threats with several new data streams, such as hospital
admissions and lab-tested police seizures, which are monitored
and fed into the decision-making processes.
Today's legislation will see 22 substances banned under the
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, 6 of which will be controlled as Class
A.
This means that anyone caught producing or supplying these could
now face up to life in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. Anyone
caught possessing a Class A drug can also face up to 7 years in
prison, a fine or both.
Xylazine will be controlled as a Class C substance, meaning its
unlawful supply carries a maximum sentence of up to 14 years in
prison, a fine or both and unlawful possession up to 2 years, a
fine or both.
A generic definition of nitazenes, a type of synthetic opioid,
has also been introduced into law today, which will prevent drug
gangs from trying to make adjustments to drug recipes to attempt
to bypass UK drug law.
