Home Affairs Committee Report on Drugs

That this House welcomes the Home Affairs Committee's Report on Drugs, published on 31 August 2023, and supports its call for an increased public health response and expanded range of harm reduction approaches; shares the concerns of the Committee, in particular the urgent need for a strategy to combat the feared forthcoming flood of synthetic opioids; notes that this Report recognises the value of drug-checking services, diversion schemes, naloxone availability, actions to overcome stigma and other barriers to treatment, promoting the role of those with lived experience, supporting diamorphine-assisted treatment and piloting safe consumption facilities; further notes the Committee’s concerns over the sustainability and security of funding for the treatment and recovery sector, which underline the need for longer-term funding frameworks to enable proper planning and provision of sustainable drug treatment services; agrees wholeheartedly that the review and reform of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is long-overdue; and calls on the Government to respond to the Committee in a timely fashion, adopting the recommendations of the Report.