Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Paul Flynn (Labour). It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Monday, 9 June 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Drugs Act

Question: What assessment she has made of the effects of the Drugs Act 2005.

Answer: The Drugs Act 2005 introduced a series of provisions. The Home Office published research in 2007 that identified the positive effect of the Act in improving the grip that the Government exert on drug-using offenders, through the drug interventions programme, by getting larger numbers of drug users to enter drug treatment. Following our clarification in the Act of the law on magic mushrooms, the British crime survey 2006-07 showed a decrease in use in the past year across all age ranges, with a significant decrease among 16 to 24-year-olds, from 3 to 1.8 per cent.

Secondary information