So-called recreational drug users will face a fine and could have
their passports and driving licences seized under new proposals
announced today (Monday 18th
July).
The tougher penalties would help tackle the scourge of substance
abuse in society which devastates lives and tears communities
apart, as well as make our streets safer.
The government is committed to reversing the rising trend of drug
use in society, protecting vulnerable people from harm and
exploitation and these measures are a step towards changing the
damaging culture of drug use and the consumption of drugs such as
cannabis and cocaine.
The proposals have been published in a White Paper entitled
‘Swift, Certain, Tough. New Consequences for Drug Possession’.
The escalating tougher penalties that so-called recreational
drugs users in England and Wales could face include:
- First-time offenders required to pay for and attend a drug
awareness course or, if they don’t, pay an increased Fixed
Penalty Notice or face prosecution.
- Those found using drugs for a second time given a caution,
sent on a further drug awareness course and face a period of
mandatory, random drug testing for a period of up to three
months.
- Offenders caught for a third time would likely to be charged
for their offence, and upon conviction, as part of a civil court
order, could be subject to an exclusion order banning them from a
specific location, such as a nightclub. They could also be given
a drug tag monitoring their usage, and see their passports and
driving licences confiscated.
The measures follow the publication of the 10-year drugs strategy
in December and come after statistics which show over three
million people in England and Wales in 2019/20 reported using
drugs in the last year, putting themselves at risk and handing
lucrative profits to criminals driving a violent and exploitative
supply chain.
Home Secretary said:
“Drugs are a scourge across society. They devastate lives
and tear communities apart.
“Drug misuse puts lives at risk, fuels criminality and
serious and violent crime and also results in the grotesque
exploitation of young, vulnerable people.
“We are cracking down on drug use with tougher
consequences for so-called recreational drug users who will face
the consequences of their actions through sanctions including
fines and conditions to attend rehabilitation courses, while drug
offenders could have their passports and driving licences
confiscated.
“In line with our strategy to tackle the harmful
consequences of drugs, we aim to reverse the rising trend of
substance use in society, to protect the public from the harm and
violence of drug misuse.”
The proposals will now be subject to a 12 week public
consultation.
More people die every year as a result of drug misuse than from
all knife crime and road traffic accidents combined. The total
cost to society and taxpayers in today’s prices is nearly £22
billion.
Overall prevalence of drug use has increased since 2012/13 with
drugs being used a by a higher percentage of young adults and
children.
The Government is committed to reversing this trend and making
our streets safer by stamping out drug supply in its 10-year
drugs strategy, which is backed by an additional £900 million of
funding for enforcement, treatment and recovery, taking the total
investment on combating drugs over the next three years to
£3billion.
Published last December, the strategy focuses on three key
priorities – reducing demand for drugs, delivering a world-class
treatment and recovery system and breaking drug supply
chains. Today’s proposals are a core
part of delivering this strategy.
Police activity funded by the Home Office’s County Lines
Programme has already closed over 2,400 lines, made over 8,000
arrests and engaged over 9,500 individuals through safeguarding
interventions since November 2019.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For further information contact the Home Office Press Office
on 0300 123 3535 or 07623 514 628 out of hours.
- The consultation closes on 10 October.
- The size of the fine first-time offenders will pay is being
consulted on as part of the proposals.
- From 2011 to 2020 there was a 72% increase in deaths related
to drug poisoning and around 2% of drug users were frequent users
(defined as having taken any drug more than once in a month in
the last year) according to the 2020/21 Crime Survey
for England and Wales, with the proportion of frequent users
higher amongst younger cohorts (4.3% in 16-24 year olds).
- It is this cohort of so-called recreational drug users who
have not yet developed dependence on drugs which the White Paper
focuses on.
