Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the (a) use of, (b) harm caused by and (c) dealing of GHB.

The Government’s Drug Strategy is a whole of government approach to combatting drug misuse, including GHB. It aims to drive down drug supply and demand and support people through treatment and recovery. The strategy is underpinned by nearly £900 million of additional investment over the next three years, taking the total cross-government funding to more than £3 billion, including £780 million to rebuild drug treatment and recovery services, £300 million to tackle the supply of drugs and £25 million to reduce the demand for drugs.

In April 2022 the Government reclassified Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB) and the related substances Gamma-Butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BD), from Class C to Class B under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This followed expert advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which conducted a review of the harms of these substances. The reclassification to Class B maintains the penalty for unlawful supply and increases the maximum penalty for unlawful possession from two years’ imprisonment, or a fine, or both, to five years’ imprisonment, or a fine, or both. This signals to the public that offences involving these substances are treated seriously and subject to appropriate penalties, acting as a deterrent for their possession and supply.