Drugs & Alcohol
Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain
The Government's 10-Year Strategy for Tackling Drugs Misuse
Presented to Parliament by the President of the Council by Command of Her Majesty, April 1998
Cm 3945
The Problem
Drugs are a very serious problem in the UK. No one has any illusions about that. Illegal drugs are now more widely available than ever before and children are increasingly exposed to them. Drugs are a threat to health, a threat on the streets and a serious threat to communities because of drug-related crime.
Some progress has been made. The last Government's strategy for England "Tackling Drugs Together" was an important step in the right direction. It has been implemented with some success. For the first time, Drug Action Teams set up partnerships to tackle the problem. We will build on that valuable work. But a fresh long-term approach is now needed.
Vision
There are no easy answers. To really make a difference in tackling drugs, goals must be long term. Our new vision is to create a healthy and confident society, increasingly free from the harm caused by the misuse of drugs. Our approach combines firm enforcement with prevention.
Drug problems do not occur in isolation. They are often tied in with other social problems. The Government is tackling inequalities through the largest ever programme to get people off benefit and into work and a series of reforms in the welfare state, education, health, criminal justice and the economy. And a new Social Exclusion Unit is looking at many of the problems often associated with drug taking.
The Government will promote action against drugs that makes substantial progress over the long term. Action will be concentrated in areas of greatest need and risk. All drugs are harmful and enforcement against all illegal substances will continue. And we will focus on those that cause the greatest damage, including heroin and cocaine.
Partnership is the key to the new approach, building on the good work that has already been done. This strategy is based on an extensive review by the UK Anti-Drugs Coordinator, Keith Hellawell and his Deputy, Mike Trace. They analysed all the available evidence and together consulted over 2,000 people and organisations.
The strategy has four elements:
Young people - to help young people resist drug misuse in order to achieve their full potential in society
Communities – to protect our communities from drug-related anti-social and criminal behaviour
Treatment – to enable people with drug problems to overcome them and live healthy and crime-free lives
Availability – to stifle the availability of illegal drugs on our streets. This is a framework for designing and implementing policies to tackle drugs. It is just the beginning of a long-term strategy.
Getting a copy
An on-line copy of Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain: The Government’s 10-Year Strategy for Tackling Drug Misuse is available here.
Last update: Tuesday, October 03, 2006