Drug Policy Governance

The UK faces a critical challenge with opioid-related overdoses, increasingly driven by the illicit opioid supply's contamination with potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes, leading to numerous overdose clusters.

Naloxone emerges as a life-saving medication capable of reversing opioid overdoses. Its administration is both straightforward and safe following brief training, and it is uniquely beneficial as it treats a readily identifiable condition with no potential for misuse. Despite its advantages, naloxone's current prescription-only status hinders broad public awareness and accessibility, especially to key groups outside of drug treatment services, such as family, friends, and general bystanders.

Considering the success in countries like Canada and the United States, where naloxone is available over the counter to combat synthetic opioid threats, a similar approach is advocated for the UK. The reclassification of naloxone hydrochloride as a Pharmacy (P) medication is recommended. This significant step could decrease drug-related deaths and effectively counter the surge in synthetic opioids, aligning with the Government's 10-year drug strategy.

In cases where reclassification might encounter challenges, enhancements to existing legislation by the Department of Health and Social Care are suggested. These enhancements are aimed at optimizing naloxone's accessibility and elevating public awareness about its availability and life-saving attributes.

1. Optimizing the Accessibility of Naloxone: The report suggests modifications to the current legal framework to make naloxone more accessible. This could involve broadening the categories of professionals and organizations authorized to distribute naloxone, simplifying distribution processes, and possibly considering the establishment of additional channels for naloxone distribution that are currently not in place.

2. Enhancing Public Awareness of Naloxone Availability: The report emphasizes the need for increased public education and awareness campaigns about naloxone. This involves not only informing the public about the existence and availability of naloxone but also educating them on its safe and effective use. The aim is to ensure that more people are aware of how naloxone can be a critical tool in responding to opioid overdoses and know where and how to obtain it.

Read the report here

November 2023

The Loop and the Centre for Evidence-Based Drug Policy Reform emphasise the need to clarify misconceptions and seek clarification on key recommendations made in the HASC committee's report on drugs related to drug checking and drug testing. The report highlights a crucial distinction between drug checking services (including health consultations for harm reduction) and drug testing services (lacking health-oriented interventions). The conflation of these terms affects recommendations, particularly regarding the establishment of a "drug checking service" in England. The report clarifies that the recommended postal service is a drug testing service, not allowing for harm reduction interventions. Further clarification is sought on the expansion of on-site services at events and the night time economy, including whether it applies to public or non-public settings and extends beyond temporary events. The Loop's services align with the government's 10-year drug strategy goals of reducing drug use, harm, and deaths while increasing engagement in treatment.

October 2023

For the first time, we attended Labour party conference this year. We co-hosted an event titled ‘How Labour Can Transform UK Drug Policy’ in partnership with the Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform.

We were pleased to host speakers Charlotte Nichols MP, who made a powerful, personal speech calling for an evidence based, public health approach to drug policy, and Sam Tarry MP, who made the case for a more ambitious Labour approach to drug policy.

We also had a guest appearance from Paul Sweeney MSP, who reflected on lessons learned in Scotland for how to get overdose prevention and harm reduction right.

As well as speaking with MPs and party members, we hosted a reception event at this year's CPC titled ‘The Conservative Drug Policy Opportunity’. Attendees included Parliamentarians and government staff, as well as representatives of the third sector. We were pleased to be joined by the President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Parliamentary and government advisers, and elected representatives from around the UK.

October 2023

The UK faces challenges in establishing a legitimate cannabinoid market, with outdated laws hindering growth. The CEBDP suggests a legal and well-regulated adult-use cannabis market could address issues, citing potential economic benefits and reduced harm associated with illicit cannabis. Public attitudes toward cannabis legalisation show increasing support, with a majority favouring changes in current policies. The report discusses the impact of cannabis on health, emphasising the need for education, regulation, and stakeholder involvement in a legalised market. The UK can learn from international examples like Canada and Germany. The CEBDP recommends policymakers prioritise evidence over instincts and media pressures, acknowledging the catastrophic consequences of unsupported global narcotic control.

September 2023

This report explores the problematic relationship between the statutorily established ACMD and the government, particularly the Home Office, which has resulted in consequences for various sectors such as the economy, public health, and bioscience innovation. The government has often ignored or sidelined the council's advice, leading to financial burdens and even loss of life. A survey among current and former ACMD members highlights frustrations due to limited resources and inconsistent government application of their expertise. Suggestions for improvement include increased financial support, better integration of the council's recommendations into legislation, and stronger mechanisms for holding the government accountable when advice is ignored. The report makes 12 recommendations to empower the ACMD and improve its independence in order to facilitate the implementation of evidence based drug policy .

Read the report

August 2023

The Home Office has announced that it is hiring 16 new members for the ACMD. One of the key conclusions of our report on the ACMD presented at the APPG for Drug Policy reform found that the ACMD is underfunded and under-resourced. The chair of the ACMD, Professor Owen Bowden-Jones said: "This new recruitment campaign is a fantastic opportunity to bring additional expertise onto the ACMD. I would encourage individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, experience and expertise to apply for this role and support the ACMD in its provision of independent scientific advice to government."

August 2023

The Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group (CDPRG) has independently evaluated the UK government’s 10-year drug policy strategy and its progress, following the Home Office’s release of its own 1-year evaluation of its 10-year drug policy strategy in July. Link to the report here.

The 1-year evaluation represents a laudable attempt at self-reflection, although many of the intended outcomes of the strategy remain unevaluated. The Home Office has committed to annual evaluations of its drug strategy – these gaps in data gathering should be rectified before the next evaluation in 2024.

Key areas for improvement include adding reporting on the known number of drug users, drug prices/purity, and the availability of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of drugs such as fentanyl & methamphetamine in order to more accurately estimate the current size of the drug market and the impact of disruption to organised crime groups.

The Home Office has fulfilled its commitment to increase investment into much-needed treatments for those struggling with addictions.

The government should now prioritise delivering funding in a timely manner, measuring and reporting the success rates of rehabilitation and diversion programs. They should also increase the focus on harm reduction initiatives, and implement evidence-based strategies for reducing drug use.

Read the report

July 2023

The CDPRG coordinated an open letter to the Drugs Minister expressing appreciation for the Minister's support of diamorphine assisted therapy (DAT) clinics, The organisations represented in the letter congratulated the Minister on recognizing the benefits of DAT, including its cost effectiveness and potential to reduce drug-related crime. The letter emphasised the urgent need to capitalise on the social and health benefits of expanding this intervention, supported by a substantial body of UK and international evidence detailed in the letter. The organisations urged the Minister to act swiftly to ensure the timely implementation of DAT clinics, citing successful projects in the UK and abroad and highlighting the potential challenges posed by the recent ban on opium production in Afghanistan.

June 2023

CDPRG's Director of Research presented results of a survey of past and current members of the ACMD to the APPG at their annual general meeting. Topline results indicate the 87.5% of respondents believe the ACMD would benefit from additional funding, 94% of respondents said the ACMD's recommendations are not adequately considered and implemented by the government, and 72% of respondents felt the ACMD would be better placed under the sponsorship of another government department.

November 2022

We were invited to present to the Icelandic Independence Party’s annual conference, to contribute to their party’s ongoing drugs policy development. While in Iceland we met with Icelandic police and academics, and visited a Red Cross mobile drugs consumption unit.

October 2022

Exhibiting at Conservative Party Conference | October 2022: We exhibited at Conservative Party Conference, co-hosting an event with Oldham Global. Our unremunerated chair participated in an IEA panel event on rethinking UK drug reform.

October 2022

Our unremunerated chair, Crispin Blunt MP, debated drug legislation with the journalist and author Peter Hitchens at the University of Oxford. You can watch the debate on YouTube.

August 2022

Responding to the Government’s consultation on the Home Office white paper Swift, Certain, Tough, we recommended:

Formally engaging the new Joint Combating Drugs Unit (JCDU) to commission a working group on how to best expand drug diversion across England and Wales;

Engaging existing deliverers of diversion and other key stakeholders alongside the rollout of the local Combating Drug Partnerships (CDP) framework;

As the JCDU are also charged with drawing up national and local outcome frameworks, as well as new data collection opportunities, they are also well placed to help establish a robust outcome framework in relation to drug diversion.

March 2022

In light of the formation of the Joint Combating Drugs Unit (JCDU) in 2021, we coordinated a roundtable focused on local coordination of the new Government Drug Strategy. The roundtable examined potential design of local outcomes (measurement and evaluation) and local accountability mechanisms involving key stakeholders (across policing, public health, commissioning, the third sector and government).

March 2022

Read our submission to the Home Affairs Select Committee Drugs Inquiry. The submission draws on the findings and recommendations of our flagship report, Making UK Drug Policy A Success. It takes into account the government’s 2021 10-year drug strategy.

In our submission, we encourage the Home Affairs Select Committee to use its influence to scrutinise not just the ongoing development of the drug strategy, but the detail of its delivery and evolution in the coming years.

December 2021

This paper is the culmination of over two years' work by the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group, shared privately with ministers and officials with an interest in the reform of our nation's drug policy by improving the policymaking process. It includes a better understanding of the issue, better capacity to foresee and respond to emerging trends and threats and better evaluation of existing policies building evidence and evidence generation into the foundations of UK drug policy.

The data reveals that increasingly evidence-based drug policies would be welcomed by the majority of MPs. This includes the majority of Conservative MPs polled, the Parliamentary demographic traditionally associated with the greatest resistance to innovation in this area:

• 72% agree the process of making policy about controlled drugs should make more use of evidence and research;

• 75% share the sentiment that policy about controlled drugs is such a controversial issue, it can be difficult to have an objective debate about the best solutions; and

• 85% (and 90% of all MPs) agree that improved cross-departmental coordination would better help to tackle the health crime and social problems associated with controlled drugs.

Read the paper here

November 2021

Ahead of the publication of the Government's 10-year drug strategy, the CDPRG sent advance copies of our influential publication 'Making UK Drug Policy a Success' which proposes innovative and evidence based solutions to improve the structure and impact of drug policy governance in the UK. Structural reform is a necessary precursor to the attainment of better drug policy outcomes and the reversal of the trends associated with the UK’s drugs crisis.

September 2021

Building on the initial roundtable with the Institute of Government, We coordinated a second roundtable in collaboration with Drug Science, the leading independent scientific body on drugs in the UK. The purpose of the roundtable was to explore the former independent UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC) recommendation for a new independent body to coordinate national drug research. The UKDPC suggests using a proportion of the money raised by the forfeiture of assets from drug-related crime to fund the body.

July 2021

The CDPRG commissioned the Institute for Government to explore the issues at play when structural changes are made to the way government formulates and delivers cross-cutting policies. Drug policy was used as a case study for individuals who have experience of managing a range of cross-cutting areas in government, alongside experienced veterans of drug policy in the UK.

May-August 2021

The WPQ (Written Parliamentary Question) campaign is a part of the ongoing efforts by CDPRG (Drug Policy Reform Group) to bring about structural reform in drug policy governance in the UK. The campaign, led by Crispin Blunt MP, targeted the Secretary of State for the Home Department with over 50 WPQs during the summer of 2021. These questions aimed to highlight critical areas where current drug policy strategies fall short of achieving high standards of governance and are inconsistent with evidence-based policymaking. The responses to these questions uncovered systemic failures in drug policy governance, including issues with policy formation, consultation processes, and evaluation. The outdated legal frameworks supporting UK drugs strategy were identified as a key factor in the need for modernization.