20121012

Drugs Policy Should Be The Sole Responsibility of The Department Of Health With The Home Office Concentrating On Organised Crime And The Department Of Health Concentrating On People With Drug Problems The Arguments For And Against this Statement Of Intent
1908 words essay

20121012
This essay will outline this statement made by Sir Richard Branson at the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee Meeting which was published on 3 December 2012. On whether there should be a royal commission put in place for drug policy in the UK and that the Home Office should take the control of organised crime and the problems of drug and alcohol addiction be left in the control of the Department Of Health .Setting up two different control bodies to control two different major problems in the UK society at the present and the arguments for and against this statement.

Mr Branson along with other dignitaries on the global commission on drug policy such as Ruth Dreifuss former President of Switzerland and former head of the Federal Council of Home Affairs, were asked to speak at the Home Affairs Committee on Drugs Breaking the Cycle and which was chaired by The Right Honourable Keith Vaz Chair of the Committee.
The last time the home affairs committee looked at drugs policy as a whole was in 2002, though more new drugs and legal highs have been in fluxed illegally, and legally, into this country so the home affairs committee thought it was time to set up a think tank to look at these problems and how they could tackle them and how other countries have decreased crime and drug use by decriminalising certain drugs.
The Governments Alcohol Strategy: 2012 national strategy confirms minimum pricing for England and Wales set out polices which were

20121012

* A minimum unit pricing for alcohol * Banning the sale of multi buy discounts * Zero tolerance of drunken behaviour in A&E departments * A late night levy to get pubs and clubs helping to pay for policing and * Improved powers to stop selling alcohol to an individual who is totally inebriated
In the foreword to this strategy David Cameron stated that “when beer is cheaper than water, it’s just too easy for people to get drunk on cheap alcohol at home before they even set food in a pub (Morris, 2012).
The UK drug policy states that between 2011 and 2012 an estimated 8.9% used an illegal drug of some sort, for young people aged between 16 and 24 this figure was 19.3% although they stated that that this was the lowest figure since they started collecting figures in 1996, drug misuse continues to have a negative effect on health and wellbeing and quality of life of too many people .It also drain public resources for example crimes related to drug use cost the UK £13.3 Billion every year (MP, 2013)
So with the polices to be scrutinised by government ministers and to look at improvements and funding for these polices and how to implement these changes the government took advice from such bodies as Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. A.C.M.D, The National Treatment Agency, N.T.A (soon to be public health England) D.A.N.O.S The Drugs and Alcohol National Occupational Standards to look at ways of changing the polices and how this would be better for the country as whole with reduced crime and better health for everyone. So decrimalisation of certain drugs and substances would this have a decrease in crime health costs, healthcare policing and 20121012

lead to a better and healthier society in Britain or would this have a damaging effect on