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1674522

registered interest
date	30/11/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Drugs: Misuse
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what policy changes they are actively considering, formulating and developing in relation to the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs report sent to the Home Secretary in December 2016, titled Interaction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016; and when they expect this policy process to conclude.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
uin	HL767
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2023 answer text <p>The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (PSA) was designed to complement the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA), by introducing civil sanctions and offences for those who produce, possess with intent to supply, supply, offer to supply and import or export new psychoactive substances which are not controlled under the MDA or which are not otherwise exempt. One of the important safeguards which the PSA provides is ensuring there are no gaps in law enforcement powers to tackle newly emerging harmful drugs. This is in the context that prior to 2016 criminal gangs were designing new psychoactive drugs with different chemical structures in order to evade MDA controls. Substances can be moved into the MDA following advice on their harms from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and subject to the decisions of Ministers.</p><p>A review of the PSA published in 2018 found that there is no evidence that the PSA has adversely affected the process or timeliness with which substances can be controlled under the MDA, with substances continuing to be controlled after the Act was introduced. <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/756896/Review_of_the_Psychoactive_Substances_Act__2016___web_.pdf" target="_blank">Review of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (publishing.service.gov.uk)</a>. The government keeps all legislation under review, but has no plans to change either legislative regime substantially.</p><p>The report referred to as ‘Interaction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016’ was shared with the Home Office in confidence by the ACMD and is not a public document. One recommendation has been made public, concerning a review of the Working Protocol between the ACMD and the Home Office, which the government has agreed to undertake.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom grouped question UIN HL768 question first answered 14/12/2023 17:36:11 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	4297 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

1674523

registered interest
date	30/11/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Drugs: Misuse
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the interaction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, and what plans they have to harmonise those two regimes.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
uin	HL768
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2023 answer text <p>The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (PSA) was designed to complement the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA), by introducing civil sanctions and offences for those who produce, possess with intent to supply, supply, offer to supply and import or export new psychoactive substances which are not controlled under the MDA or which are not otherwise exempt. One of the important safeguards which the PSA provides is ensuring there are no gaps in law enforcement powers to tackle newly emerging harmful drugs. This is in the context that prior to 2016 criminal gangs were designing new psychoactive drugs with different chemical structures in order to evade MDA controls. Substances can be moved into the MDA following advice on their harms from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and subject to the decisions of Ministers.</p><p>A review of the PSA published in 2018 found that there is no evidence that the PSA has adversely affected the process or timeliness with which substances can be controlled under the MDA, with substances continuing to be controlled after the Act was introduced. <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/756896/Review_of_the_Psychoactive_Substances_Act__2016___web_.pdf" target="_blank">Review of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (publishing.service.gov.uk)</a>. The government keeps all legislation under review, but has no plans to change either legislative regime substantially.</p><p>The report referred to as ‘Interaction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016’ was shared with the Home Office in confidence by the ACMD and is not a public document. One recommendation has been made public, concerning a review of the Working Protocol between the ACMD and the Home Office, which the government has agreed to undertake.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom grouped question UIN HL767 question first answered 14/12/2023 17:36:11 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	4297 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

1674524

registered interest
date	30/11/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Drugs: Misuse
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what harm reduction policies they are implementing in relation to illicit drug use.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
uin	HL769
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2023 answer text <p>The Drug Strategy sets out our commitment that the government and our public services will continue to work together and share responsibility for creating a safer, healthier and more productive society. It is backed by increased funding across the system, including nearly £900 million of additional investment over 2022-2025, of which the largest amount, £780 million, is dedicated additional funding for the treatment and recovery system.</p><p>Delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system is one of the three key strategic priorities in the Drug Strategy.</p><p>As part of this priority, the Government continues to support a range of evidence-based approaches to reduce the health-related harms of drug misuse, such as maintaining the availability of needle and syringe programmes to prevent blood borne infections, widening the availability of naloxone to prevent overdose deaths and the rollout of the opioid treatment, depot buprenorphine.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 14/12/2023 17:33:13 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	4297 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb