Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted last year for simple possession of controlled drugs; and how many of those had a recorded drug dependency.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences including drug possession offences in England and Wales within the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

Data held centrally by the Ministry of Justice does not contain details of a recorded drug dependency for offenders who received a conviction.

Police have the powers needed to divert individuals who commit low-level drug possession offences away from a criminal charge towards consequences that may include a requirement to attend drug educational courses and support, or treatment where needed, to help people make better, safer choices in the future.

Diverting those who use illegal drugs into interventions such as drug treatment services is key to reducing drug misuse, drug related crimes and reoffending. We support the use of Out of Court Resolution (OOCR) powers to ensure that individuals who commit low-level drug possession offences are given the opportunity to change their behaviour by diverting them to meaningful and appropriate interventions.