This comes as Patel yesterday (Monday 18 July) announced “tougher penalties” for drug users as part of a white paper entitled ‘Swift, Certain, Tough. New Consequences for Drug Possession’.
Patel said: “Drugs are a scourge across society. They devastate lives and tear communities apart.
“Drug misuse puts lives at risk, fuels criminality and serious and violent crime and also results in the grotesque exploitation of young, vulnerable people.
Reverse the trend
“In line with our strategy to tackle the harmful consequences of drugs, we aim to reverse the rising trend of substance use in society, to protect the public from the harm and violence of drug misuse.”
While the proposals are currently undergoing a 12-week public consultation, the Home Secretary outlined punishments such as fines and drug awareness’s courses for first time offenders with cautions and random drug testing for second offenders.
Furthermore, repeat offenders could be given a drug monitoring tag and civil court orders, including having passports and driving licenses confiscated, as we all as being banned from specific locations such as nightclubs.
However, NTIA CEO Michael Kill stated some of these measures were already in place, with licensed premises having been operating under a zero-tolerance drug policy for decades.
Kill said: "I am not sure the Home Secretary is completely aware but the practice of banning people from licensed premises for drug possession or use has been in place for decades.
Zero-tolerance
“Police forces and local authorities across the country promote a zero-tolerance drug policy within licensed premises on a localised basis.
"Sadly, this has led to displacement, where drug use takes places in uncontrolled environments, leading to further issues around anti-social behaviour and compromising people's wellbeing and safety without the infrastructure or support.
"The industry has been exploring different approaches to drugs within society, the work being done by the Loop and many other organisations, around information sharing, testing and intelligence being the start.
"The work being done at festivals and events in the Netherlands for example, shows a different approach, it is clear drugs in society will not be stopped using the suggested methods laid out by the Home Secretary, which in many instances already exist in part on a local level."
