Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of harm reduction policies on levels of drug-related crime.

The Government is determined to tackle drug harms and drug-driven crime. This includes investment in drug treatment and wider healthcare services, support for those recovering from drug dependence, enforcement to tackle drugs supply overseas, at the border and within the UK, and prevention and education in schools and through public health services. The legislative framework is also a key underpinning of reducing harm by ensuring the most harmful drugs are controlled and can only be accessed with a HO licence, as well as giving police the powers they need to act against the violent and exploitative criminal gangs behind the drug trade and others involved in drug-related crime.

The government is committed to a long-term, system-wide approach to reducing drug harms, learning from what works and ensuring this supports delivery of the government’s missions.