---

Drugs Policy

The hon. Member for Burton (Andrew Griffiths)said that I am the only person who is looking for a quick fix. No one understands more than I do how busy Ministers are. I know the work that the Minister will have undertaken in his consultation—writing the documentation and everything else over a period. However, can he find a little time over his Christmas break to do what I did: put our drug strategy refresh together with his drug strategy—eight years apart—and look at the phrases, issues and so-called solutions? The Minister will find that we had overarching strategies and key principles. I cannot remember if we had three or four themes—he has three themes. He thinks that seizing assets will be part of the solution—I took the Proceeds of Crime Bill through the House in 2001, with all-party support, and it has been on the statute book since 2002. He thinks that upstream interdiction will solve the problem—look at our strategy and see how much emphasis we put on upstream interdiction eight years ago. He thinks that champions are new—look at champions in our strategy. Also, look at action against precursors in our strategy, which is another thing that he is saying will, in some ways, deliver something. The Minister thinks we are having some success, and that adulterated drugs on the streets of London are an indication that policy is working. The hon. Member for Burton thinks that the war on drugs is not working, while the Minister thinks there is some evidence that it is, but there has been feast and famine in drugs repeatedly over the years. At the moment we have a famine—we have a shortage of heroin and a problem in Afghanistan. However, it will be got over, and we will see availability increase again, because there is too much profit for that not to happen. The Minister will have an annual review, although he is not prepared to look at the alternatives. His mind is closed—he has his drug policy—but he will have the annual review and participate in it. Let me predict something that I say with huge sadness: when we get to the annual review, heroin will still be freely available in the towns and cities of this country, the price will not have gone up astronomically and, in all probability, the adulteration level will have gone down, because it is at a high point at the moment. We will have lost another year and gained little, and the argument for alternatives will have grown stronger. I knew before I started that the Minister would not move. I ask him to keep an open mind. I know how hard that is and how very difficult it is for him or for my right hon. and hon. Friends to deal with, but he will find, sadly, that I will be right. We will be saying the same things in a year—if he is still in post, because he might have moved on to greater things—and, sadly, we will have lost another year. However, we will keep up the debate and, hopefully, we will get there. Question put and agreed to.