Written question asked by Paul Flynn (Labour) on Wednesday, 25 July 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 October 2007. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Monday, 8 October 2007 on behalf of the Home Office.

Drugs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research studies the Government have (a) undertaken, (b) commissioned and (c) reviewed into the impact of changing the status of a drug within the ABC classification system on (i) availability and price at street level of illicit drugs and (ii) the levels of drug-related harm; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: Since 1997 only two drugs have changed in status within the Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) classification system—cannabis in 2004 and methamphetamine in January 2007. The Government undertake several surveys to monitor evidence of trends in availability and price, but these are not predicted on the ABC classification system.The Arrestee Survey and the annual survey of drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England provide data on the perceived availability of drugs. Data on price at street level has in the past been collected by the National Criminal Intelligence Service, using information generated during the course of police operations. The Drug Harm Index (DHI) provides an overall measure of the level of drug-related harm and how it changes over time. The operation of the DHI is set out in Measuring the harm from illegal drugs using the Drug Harm Index (Home Office Online Report 24/05).

Secondary information