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The Home Secretary has today published the findings of a wide-ranging review into drug misuse pledging to bring together partners from across the UK government and beyond to address the challenges raised head-on.
The review was commissioned by the Home Office from Professor Dame Carol Black to build the most comprehensive picture possible of the issue.
In her review, Dame Carol provides detailed analysis on the challenges around drug supply and demand, and notes that drug deaths are at an all-time high, the market has become much more violent, and drugs are costing society billions of pounds every year.
She is one of the key participants in a UK-wide drug summit to be held in Glasgow today. She will set out her findings and views on what needs to be done, which will inform the next steps, utilising the most effective measures possible to tackle the harms that drugs are causing across the UK.
The summit will also bring together drug recovery experts, people with personal experience of drug addiction, charities, health care professionals, government ministers and senior police officers
Sustained mental health support is needed to tackle drug abuse
Health Minister Jo Churchill said: “Time and again we see the tragic impact of drug misuse on people’s health, their lives and the lives of those around them. We must make sure we are offering a holistic approach to treatment, not only looking after physical health in the short-term, but offering sustained mental health support.
“Dame Carol’s review is an essential step towards tackling drug addiction and we will build on her work to ensure victims of the illegal drug industry can access the right services.”
Following the drugs review, the Department of Health and Social Care will commission a further drugs review, focused on prevention, treatment and recovery.
Dame Carol will lead this further review with input from experts in the field. It will build on Dame Carol’s work to ensure vulnerable people with substance misuse problems get the support they need to recover and turn their lives around.
It will look at treatment in the community and in prison, and how treatment services work with wider services that enable a person with a drug dependency to achieve and sustain recovery, including mental health, housing, employment, and the criminal justice system.
The Department of Health Social and Care will work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Justice to ensure the review is wide-ranging.