Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions are in place to ensure that drug policy and its enforcement are consistent and uniform across the country; and if she will make a statement.

The Government’s recently published Drug Strategy and the significant funding made available to implement the Strategy provide a strong foundation for consistent policy and enforcement across the country. The Strategy emphasises a partnership approach to tackling illicit drugs. We work closely with the National Crime Agency, the National Police Chiefs Council and with police forces across the country, as well as with the devolved administrations, on tackling illicit drugs and to share best practice.

In relation to the enforcement of drug-related offences, the police have a range of powers at their disposal to deal with these. How police forces choose to pursue investigations is an operational decision for chief constables, but we are clear that we expect them to enforce the law.