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Ten-Year Drugs Strategy
06 December 2021
Lead MP
Kit Malthouse
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Policing & ResourcesCrime & Law EnforcementEconomyTaxationEmploymentBusiness & Trade
Other Contributors: 47
At a Glance
Kit Malthouse raised concerns about ten-year drugs strategy in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Policing & ResourcesCrime & Law EnforcementEconomyTaxationEmploymentBusiness & Trade
Government Statement
The Government is introducing a new 10-year strategy titled 'From harm to hope' aimed at reducing illegal drug use and its associated harms. This includes £900 million of dedicated funding, bringing total spending on drug enforcement, treatment, and recovery to over £3 billion in the next three years. The strategy focuses on three priorities: breaking drug supply chains, delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system, and reducing demand for illegal drugs over the next generation. Key measures include ramping up efforts against county lines operations with £300 million investment, enhancing drug treatment services with an additional £780 million, and investing in housing and employment support for people recovering from addiction. The strategy also outlines commitments to research and innovation, tougher penalties for recreational drug use, and a White Paper next year to address these issues further.
Sarah Jones
Lab
Croydon West
Question
Will neighbourhood policing be brought back to the levels seen in 2010? What about replacing lost police community support officers?
Minister reply
The Minister did not provide specific details on restoring neighbourhood policing levels or replacing lost police community support officers, but committed to addressing concerns raised and improving frontline roles.
Sarah Jones
Lab
Croydon West
Question
Why is the treatment funding less than what Dame Carol Black recommended? What about the new offence of child criminal exploitation?
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledged concerns regarding funding shortfalls and indicated a commitment to reviewing Labour’s suggestions on child criminal exploitation, including potential modern slavery offender registers.
Sarah Jones
Lab
Croydon West
Question
How many actual networks have been shut down compared to the number of individual phone lines?
Minister reply
The Minister did not provide specific numbers on shutting down criminal networks, but noted efforts to dismantle county lines operations and the importance of ongoing work with law enforcement.
Sarah Jones
Lab
Croydon West
Question
What is being done to recruit more analysts and collaborate with telecommunications companies?
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledged the need for additional recruitment in analysis roles and expressed commitment to working closely with telecommunications companies to combat drug-related criminal activities.
Sarah Jones
Lab
Croydon West
Question
Why have prosecutions and convictions dropped since 2010?
Minister reply
The Minister did not provide a detailed explanation but committed to reviewing the situation with an aim to improve outcomes in drug-related crime enforcement.
Sarah Jones
Lab
Croydon West
Question
The MP expressed concern over the government's handling of drug misuse, citing a rise in drug use since 2011 and highlighting issues such as fragmented commissioning, depleted workforces, and exploitative gangs. She welcomed funding for treatment places but questioned whether neighbourhood policing levels would be restored to pre-2010 standards and asked about plans to address online drug sales.
Minister reply
The Minister defended the government's actions over recent years, highlighting the reduction in class A drug consumption and noting significant progress made in closing deal lines and rescuing young people from gang activities. He acknowledged that there is still work to be done but emphasised that substantial improvements have been achieved through targeted investments and collaborative efforts with telecommunications companies.
Question
The MP commended the Minister on his statement and praised Dame Carol Black’s recommendations, particularly those concerning prisoner treatment, release arrangements, and a coordinator role in the probation service. He urged for swift implementation of these provisions.
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledged the right hon. Friend's contribution to the development of the plan, especially from a Ministry of Justice perspective. He emphasised the importance of consistent high-quality treatment across the country, particularly for those leaving custody, and highlighted the need for a comprehensive support system including housing, employment, and therapy.
Stuart McDonald
SNP
Central Ayrshire
Question
I thank the Minister for his statement and his letter, and of course we all desperately want to see the consumption of drugs and the devastation he referred to tackled urgently. Aspects of the strategy are welcome, including acceptance of Dame Carol Black’s recommendations—I think he said “all”, but perhaps he could clarify that—as well as funding for treatment, including harm reduction; more use of diversion from prosecution; work to tackle organised crime; and a commitment to collaboration with the devolved Governments.
However, I do not think the Minister will be shocked that I want to push him again on the need for overdose prevention facilities. [...]
Minister reply
I obviously recognise the hon. Gentleman’s concern in this area, given the scale of the problem in Scotland, which is by far and away the worst in the western world. I know that the party of which he is a member, and the Government in place in Scotland, have relatively recently made a similar investment along the same lines in health treatment.
On drug consumption rooms, I have always said that my mind is open to the evidence, and I am in correspondence with my counterpart, the drugs Minister in the Scottish Government, about what that evidence might be. As far as I can see thus far, it is patchy. [...]
Steve Brine
Con
Fareham
Question
I think this new long-term strategy looks excellent. It is a thoughtful piece of work, it is funded, and I think it strikes the right balance between head and heart, so well done to the Government. Chapter 3 deals with support for families and mentions “family-based” treatment, particularly where
“parents are themselves dependent on drugs or alcohol.”
Could the Minister expand on that a little? Is that through the new family hubs that were announced in the Budget? Is it through local authorities? Will he just say a bit more about that, please?
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his words of encouragement. It has been an enormous effort across the whole of Government to put this plan together. I congratulate my team, and I thank my fellow Ministers who have worked on putting it in place. My hon. Friend is quite right that we need to focus very much on drugs in the home. The funding that is put in place, although it is routed through the Department of Health and Social Care, will go to local authorities, which will then be able to design their own services locally to fit their own requirements and demographic.
George Howarth
Lab
Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
Question
I welcome the measures set out in the Government’s new strategy and the funding that goes with it. I particularly welcome the emphasis on disrupting supplies and dealing with those who already have addiction problems. One piece of the jigsaw that seems to be missing, although I may have missed it, is targeting of so-called drug barons and the extent to ...
Minister reply
The right hon. Gentleman puts his finger on one of the key issues. One of the issues that I have discussed with the police is that when we arrest people, they ought to be high-quality arrests of people who have unique skills, so that when they are taken out of circulation, specific damage is done to the business of drugs.
John Redwood
Con
Wokingham
Question
I strongly welcome the Minister’s plan and intent, and I wish him every success with it. On that money point, will he make it clear to the people making these big profits that the state will pursue them to take the money back?
Minister reply
We absolutely will, and our plan contains an ambition to significantly increase the denial of assets to the criminal fraternity. We know that this business, if it is a business—a horrible business—is prosecuted for profit. It is all about the money, so if we can make it a low-return, high-risk business, we will deter a lot of people from getting involved.
Jeff Smith
Lab
Manchester Withington
Question
I welcome the focus in the strategy on treatment and recovery; £780 million is a significant investment, and I commend the Government for that. On supply and demand, I fear we are being offered an enhanced version of the same general approach that has failed for the last 50 years, [...]
Minister reply
As I say, I think there is a big difference with this plan, which is that on the supply side we are very much coming at this from an economic point of view. We have done an enormous amount of work to examine the nature of the business. We are not necessarily looking at the individuals involved, who very often are replaced if they are arrested—sometimes within hours—but fundamentally at the structure of the business, and interfering with it in a way that means it does not reoccur.
Crispin Blunt
Con
Reigate
Question
I welcome the commitment in the strategy to building a world-leading evidence base, and the funding of it, with a cross-Government innovation fund to test and learn. Given our desire to become world leaders in this space, will the Minister confirm that that evidence will include international examples and evidence?
Minister reply
I am more than happy to confirm that we will look anywhere in the world where there are good ideas that are having impact and effect, but the evidence has to be properly evaluated, properly peer reviewed and scientifically proven, because we are dealing with people’s lives here. Across the world, we have seen unintended consequences from measures taken on narcotics, which we do not want to repeat.
Kate Green
Lab
Wirral West
Question
The Minister will know that many women end up in the criminal justice system because of substance misuse and addiction, and often exploitation. Can he say how the drugs strategy that the Government have announced today will link to whole-system approaches to women’s offending?
Minister reply
First, all those in the secure estate who have a drug dependency or drug problem will receive a treatment place. We have made the commitment that 100% will be covered, and that obviously includes female offenders.
Caroline Johnson
Con
Sleaford and North Hykeham
Question
Sobriety tags—wearable devices that monitor alcohol consumption in offenders—were trialled first in Lincolnshire and have been rolled out due to their success. Could such an approach be useful for those taking drugs?
Minister reply
I congratulate my hon. Friend on an extremely good question, and a very topical one. We are very interested in the technology of a drugs tag—a wearable device that detects drug consumption in somebody’s sweat.
Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Question
Diolch yn fawro, Dirprwy Lefarydd. I know and the Minister knows—we all know—that penalising drug users does not save lives, and the uncoordinated criminal justice system that we suffer makes a bad situation worse in Wales.
Minister reply
I am afraid that the devolution of justice in Wales would not achieve the right hon. Lady’s suggested objectives, not least because the drug supply lines into Wales run from forces in England—from Liverpool, the west midlands and London.
Nickie Aiken
Con
Cities of London and Westminster
Question
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s 10-year strategy to fight the evil that is the drugs industry. I particularly welcome the emphasis on holding professional classes to account for their actions.
Minister reply
I welcome my hon. Friend’s comments. She represents what is sadly one of the drug epicentres of the country in central London, and she is right that much of the drug abuse, violence and degradation is driven by casual, thoughtless use.
Florence Eshalomi
Lab Co-op
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Question
We do need to clamp down on those barons who exploit our young people. That includes those who exploit young girls—they often do not get talked about in the whole issue of county lines—who are criminally exploited, gang-raped and sexually assaulted by drug barons.
Minister reply
I agree with both the hon. Lady and my hon. Friend the Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Nickie Aiken). Of the £300 million that we will be spending, £145 million will be on enhancing and turbocharging our effort against county lines.
Philip Hollobone
Con
Kettering
Question
I warmly welcome the Government’s 10-year anti-drugs strategy. Will my right hon. Friend the Minister for Crime and Policing join me in congratulating Northamptonshire police, which has had considerable success in recent months and years in busting county lines drug gangs?
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I agree that Northamptonshire police’s bust a couple of weeks ago was remarkable. It was a huge one, intercepting drugs valued into the many millions of pounds.
Rupa Huq
Lab
Ealing Central and Acton
Question
A shiny new 10-year strategy sounds good, but the Government also need to address unfinished business. Three years after the Minister’s Government legislated for medical cannabis on the NHS, why have only three prescriptions ever been written for it?
Minister reply
That is a matter for the Department of Health and Social Care, but, where requests have come to me to facilitate the acquisition of those products for affected families who need them, we have moved heaven and earth to do so as quickly as we could.
John Penrose
Constitutional
Totnes
Question
I welcome the 10-year strategy’s focus on both prevention and enforcement as well as treatment. I welcome that it pledges to implement, I think, all of Dame Carol Black’s excellent recommendations.
Minister reply
I understand what my hon. Friend said about the implications of the Act. At the moment, we do not have any plans to revise it, but we will bring forward a White Paper in the spring that will lay out, in particular, where we want to go on dealing with the overwhelming volume of drug consumption.
Tony Lloyd
Lab
Manchester Central
Question
I also welcome the move, if it is genuine, to begin to treat the serious use of class A drugs as a health, rather than a criminal justice, problem. That will make a material difference if the money is there.
Minister reply
Our intentions are genuine and the money is there; I hope and believe that the strategy will make a difference over the next decade. As I said, we will look at evidence from around the world.
Simon Hoare
Con
North Dorset
Question
I know that my right hon. Friend will need no persuading on this point, but will he set out his view on how the strategy will help those of us who represent rural constituencies and our rural communities? Very often, this is seen as an urban problem. He knows that county lines comes into the small, rural market towns of North Dorset, as it does into other counties, and missing the opportunity to nip that problem in the bud would be a huge omission.
Minister reply
As a rural Member, I have seen the impact of county lines in my constituency, and my hon. Friend is absolutely right that the pernicious effect of this method of distribution and marketing is felt in towns and villages across the land. Drug dealers have become very entrepreneurial, very crafty and clever in the way they do business, so we must be as well. I hope that in his county, in mine and in counties across the country, we will see a reduction in drug dealing in towns and villages and, as a result, a reduction in violence and degradation.
Question
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests: I have worked in addiction services and I am the current chair of the all-party group on the 12 steps recovery programme for addiction. As the Minister will know, 12 steps programmes can really augment recovery, with a focus on long-term maintenance and support. The fantastic thing about them is that they are absolutely free. Will the Minister agree to meet Lord Brooke and myself from the all-party group to discuss how we can work in an integrated way regarding narcotics anonymous and alcoholics anonymous to help rehabilitation in future?
Minister reply
I certainly will.
Question
A number of buildings in Stoke-on-Trent South have recently been used to cultivate drugs, so will my right hon. Friend look at what more can be done to increase the punishments for those who allow their buildings to be used for such purposes, or do nothing to stop it?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend raises a very good point. There are penalties in place, but I would be more than happy to look again at whether we are achieving the deterrent effect that we need. As I hope he knows—this is quite interesting—at this time of year when it is cold, one of the things that the police helicopter does, when it has spare time, is to go and look for buildings that are not exhibiting quite the same pattern of heating as others or are more insulated, because that is often a sign that something untoward is going on.
Fleur Anderson
Lab
Putney
Question
I have also seen the impact of county lines on my constituency. Criminals who run county lines rely on using and abusing children. That could have been cut by imposing 14-year sentences on adults who involve children in criminal enterprise and by their going on to the sex offenders’ wing when they are caught. The Government whipped their MPs to vote against Labour motions to do just that in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. Will the Minister explain why he chose to block a sentencing regime that would protect vulnerable children as well as cutting county lines far faster?
Minister reply
A number of very serious child exploitation offences that carry very heavy sentences are committed in relation to drugs. As the hon. Lady knows, in that Bill we are raising the penalty for child cruelty from 10 to 14 years. I hope that when she looks at the full package of sentencing, she will support the Bill, which she voted against.
Question
I really welcome the strategy; it is fantastic news for Loughborough. I take this opportunity to thank Leicestershire police for the work that they have done over the past couple of years through Operation Lionheart; hopefully, the strategy will help to get us to phase 2 of Operation Lionheart, in order to go further and faster.
One thing that happened there, for example, was that when the police came in and arrested someone for drug dealing, and a closure order was operated by the council, everybody came out on to their balconies to clap and cheer the people who were doing the arrest. It was fantastic —really amazing. My first ask is: please can we have phase 2? Secondly, what are we planning on doing to work with voluntary groups such as the Carpenter’s Arms and the Exaireo Trust to really get rehabilitation going?
Minister reply
I am pleased to hear that my hon. Friend is delighted by the actions of her local police force. I know that Leicestershire police are working hard on drugs in her constituency and elsewhere, and they form a critical part of the team effort, not least because of the transport links: many drugs gangs transit through Leicestershire on their way to other areas from those big exporting cities.
As for the local structure, we urge the organisations—councils, largely—that are leading on the rehabilitation effort to make sure that they are tying in some of the really valuable third sector organisations that have enormous experience and are thirsting to come along and help, very often from their own sense of commitment and to do good in their community. I am sure that my hon. Friend’s local health leaders on the programme will involve the organisations that she referred to.
Grahame Morris
Lab
Easington
Question
Clearly, the cost to individuals, communities, the criminal justice system and the police system in the north-east is increasing, and that is a huge concern. Although there is much to welcome in the drugs strategy and in Dame Carol Black’s report, it seems that the Government are placing ideology above public safety. I say that because I always want public policy to be informed by the evidence. I have a spent a good deal of time in the drugs, alcohol and justice cross-party parliamentary group and there is ample evidence for the positive effects of heroin-assisted treatment programmes. Will the Minister consider the evidence and reconsider his position on heroin-assisted treatment rooms to save lives and create safer communities?
Minister reply
I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman is conflating heroin-assisted treatment with overdose prevention centres, but as he may know, heroin-assisted treatment is under way in Cleveland. When licences are applied for, we look at them on their merits and on a case-by-case basis. I am happy to entertain other applications if people want me to. I will take the same view: that we have to look at them on a case-by-case basis and see what investment goes alongside that to make sure that we get the wraparound approach that will result in the recovery that we want.
Question
A couple of years ago, I spent a day with paramedics in Scarborough. I was surprised to discover that they were getting an increasing number of call-outs to professional people in their 50s and early-60s who are suffering from serious, sometimes fatal, heart disease. The reason? Regular cocaine use over a number of years. Does the Minister agree that people who think that drug use is a victimless crime might well find themselves being the victims themselves?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend is absolutely spot on. A lot of people underestimate the impact that illicit drugs can have on not only their physical health, but, importantly, their mental health. I think all of us may have experience of meeting those who have perhaps taken too many drugs in their past and have seen the damage that that has done to their brains, as well as to their bodies. That is perhaps one of the education items that we need to include in our deterrence campaign.
Question
In 2016, in response to an HIV outbreak, Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board proposed a supervised drug consumption room—an overdose prevention room. The Home Office has sat on that request and blocked it for five years with absolutely no justification, while people in Glasgow, in my constituency, have died. When the Minister next comes to Glasgow, will he show the bravery that the Scottish Government’s Minister for Drug Policy has shown, come for a walk with me and tell me why people injecting in their groin in the snow tomorrow should support his drugs policy?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady often vents her fury and anguish about the situation in Glasgow, which is appalling, on me. She rarely does it on our Scottish Government colleagues—
Bury South
Question
I speak as chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on alcohol harm and as vice-chair of the drugs, alcohol and justice cross-party parliamentary group. Addiction is never a choice; I am grateful that the Government are now talking about drugs in terms of rehabilitation and addiction, not just criminality. However, the cheapest and most readily accessible drug is alcohol. When will the Government develop an addiction and rehabilitation strategy that will include alcohol? This is one thing I never thought I would say, but I agree with hon. Members on the SNP Front Bench. We need to tackle the stigma of addiction, so will the Government agree to tackle it and remove the exclusion of addiction from the Equality Act 2010?
Minister reply
As my hon. Friend may know, alcohol-related crime is of deep interest to me. That interest was behind my 10-year campaign to bring in sobriety ankle bracelets, which are having an enormous impact across the country with 97% compliance. While this strategy is drug-focused, it is worth pointing out that, as I am sure he knows, quite a number of people have an addiction both to drugs and to alcohol. The provision of treatment services that are primarily for their drug addiction will have a spill-over effect on their alcohol addiction; I hope that he will see an improvement in that as well.
Justin Madders
Lab
Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
Question
One of the frustrations that my constituents have is that if they live in a flat and someone else in the block is a persistent cannabis smoker, the whole block can reek of cannabis. It affects their health; it affects their children’s health. They go to the landlord, but the landlord says, “We won’t get involved unless there’s a police prosecution”—and more often than not, the police will not prosecute people for smoking in their own home. Is there anything in the strategy that will put an end to the misery that people experience in that situation?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman raises a good point—a good counterpoint to issues that others have raised. As part of our strategy, in the next year we will produce a White Paper that we hope will contain a new system for changing such behaviour and deterring individuals from such casual, thoughtless and often cruel drug consumption, which not only interferes with his constituents’ happiness and enjoyment of their home, but drives an enormous amount of violence on the streets.
James Daly
Con
Brent North
Question
Welcomes the emphasis on treatment and rehabilitation but raises concerns about drug-addicted shoplifters in Greater Manchester and the need to protect victims of crime.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the issue, mentions a letter sent to police chiefs urging them to take such offences seriously. Emphasises the need for punishment and treatment.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
Asks for a workforce plan that not only rebuilds treatment services but also ensures staff are skilled up to work in residential settings and drug consumption rooms.
Minister reply
Commits to publishing an annual report evaluating progress on these matters.
Rob Butler
Con
Aylesbury
Question
Welcomes the strategy and asks how it will tackle county lines exploitation of vulnerable individuals, particularly cuckooing.
Minister reply
Confirms £145 million investment to co-ordinate efforts between exporting and importing forces through a national centre.
Mary Glindon
Lab
Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend
Question
Asks if the Minister will meet the cross-party parliamentary group to discuss active consultations with treatment providers and service users.
Minister reply
Agrees to take the meeting.
Robbie Moore
Con
Keighley and Ilkley
Question
Welcomes the plan, mentions drug drops by a Keighley taxi firm, and asks about tackling the grooming of young children in drug dealing.
Minister reply
Confirms that over 4,000 individuals have been rescued from county lines exploitation and commits to rescuing more with investment.
Rachel Hopkins
Lab
Luton South
Question
Welcomes the strategy but criticises cuts made by the Government to local authorities over the past decade, affecting police funding models.
Minister reply
Acknowledges that work is underway on devising a new funding formula.
Lucy Allan
Con
Telford
Question
Expresses gratitude for the strategy and asks if addiction should be treated as an illness, not solved by sending people to prison.
Minister reply
Agrees that addiction is a health issue requiring treatment.
Question
Suggests rolling out heroin-assisted treatment pilot programme in Wales based on experiences of chief constable Richard Lewis.
Minister reply
Confirms working with the Welsh Government and mentions new pharmacological treatments such as depot buprenorphine.
Ribble Valley
Question
Welcomes £145 million investment in tackling county lines but asks about wining war against drug users, suggesting tougher sentences.
Minister reply
Agrees that those who promote drugs deserve harsher sentences and advocates for a 360-degree approach attacking both supply and demand.
Clive Efford
Lab
Eltham
Question
Welcomes the announcement but asks if new money will backfill cuts or lead to new services, citing loss of police officers and drug/alcohol service cuts.
Minister reply
Commits to building a world-class treatment system and reporting on progress annually.
Duncan Baker
Con
Orkney and Shetland
Question
Praises Norfolk constabulary's work, raises concerns about recreational cannabis use causing harm, and asks if the strategy will ensure crackdown.
Minister reply
Confirms no plans to legalize cannabis, citing potential long-term health impacts.
Tommy Sheppard
SNP
Edinburgh East
Question
I had hoped for something better, especially from this Minister, and I think that a great many people will have been disappointed by his statement. Rather than bringing fresh thinking to the problem, he is doubling down on the failed strategies of the past. He knows that the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is not fit for purpose—he has already accepted that it constrains and compromises his ability to deal with this problem—so will he commit himself to an evidence-led review of the legislation?
Minister reply
I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman is disappointed, and is disappointed in me in particular. I have to say that I am disappointed in him, because while some of us try to remain open-minded on this issue and seek evidence, I am not sure that his position is shifting at all. As I have said, we are making a significant investment in what is internationally accepted to be the most efficacious way to deal with pernicious addiction to heroin and crack, and I hope that the hon. Gentleman will welcome that, as he has welcomed it in Scotland.
Ronnie Cowan
SNP
East Ayrshire and Arran
Question
As this Government seek out more people to arrest, tomorrow the Global Commission on Drug Policy, backed by 14 former Prime Ministers and Presidents, will call on Governments to break their addiction to punishing users, and to legalise and legislate instead. When will the Government learn, from 50 years of experience, that they cannot arrest their way out of a drugs crisis?
Minister reply
If we followed the hon. Gentleman’s logic, we would give up arresting burglars.
Margaret Ferrier
IND
Rutherglen and Hamilton West
Question
The Beacons in Blantyre, which is in my constituency, aims to provide treatment for those with drug addiction whose needs are not being met through the traditional routes. It is volunteer-led, and, crucially, it looks for volunteers with lived experience. It is an excellent community asset. Have the Government considered the ways in which organisations of this kind can contribute to successful intervention and rehabilitation across the UK?
Minister reply
As I said earlier, we hope that those who design the local frameworks to bring about the recovery chains that we want to see will take account of the skills and facilities that can be provided by the third sector, but in the hon. Lady’s constituency that will obviously be a matter for the Scottish Government.
Shadow Comment
Sarah Jones
Shadow Comment
The shadow minister criticises the Government's past policies which she claims have led to an increase in drug abuse and funding cuts to treatment services. She welcomes the new strategy but questions its adequacy given the 'biggest failures of a generation' under Conservative leadership. She calls for increased neighbourhood policing, replacement of lost police community support officers, and better alignment with recommendations by Dame Carol Black. The shadow minister also seeks details on recruitment efforts, collaboration with social media companies to combat online drug sales, and measures addressing reduced prosecutions and convictions since 2010.
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