The possession of many drugs remains illegal, and all drugs have the potential to cause harm to individuals and society.
The Government believes that we must continue to take steps through law enforcement to reduce these harms and protect communities. An important part of this will be the continued activity to reduce and disrupt supply, complementing measures to reduce demand. Criminal justice responses are also needed. We want to build on existing measures that truly punish drug dealers, particularly through recovery of assets.
For people who use drugs, we want to continue looking at interventions that are not merely punitive, but assist in their road to recovery. This is particularly true for prisons, where a new approach is needed.