"Crack": Drug Misuse (Hansard, 15 June 1989)

The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)
My Lords, we are very concerned about the growing threat from cocaine and the insidious nature of cocaine in the crystalline form known as "crack". Many of the existing initiatives, which have been taken under the Government's comprehensive strategy for tackling drug misuse, already have an impact on the misuse of cocaine and crack. Measures, which are specifically aimed at cocaine, include law enforcement-related assistance in Latin America and the setting up of customs teams to combat cocaine smuggling. The ministerial group on the misuse of drugs will be considering the scope for further action.

Lord Campbell of Croy
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his reply. In dealing with this diabolical substance, which is new to this country, will the Government take into account especially the inner cities? It is there that the easiest markets will exist in the eyes of the drug traders who hope to make fortunes and who, in the United States, have been using children as their street peddlers.

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for drawing my attention to that. We shall certainly see that his views are taken into account. I assure him that the Government are most concerned about the possible rise in and effects from crack. Four years ago in the United States it was hardly known; but it is now said to be the most serious drug in 49 states. Therefore we are very concerned that it might grow over here.

§ Baroness Masham of Ilton
My Lords, may I ask the Minister whether some groups of people are more likely to use crack than others? If that is the case, would it not be wise to contact the community leaders in order to try to stop the horrifying problem which is now escalating in the United States?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I think that the difficulty is that crack is very easy to make, being manufactured from cocaine. At present it is a very minor problem at street level. The problem is that we have to take care in any approach to public education on crack in order to avoid stimulating people to try it and use it.

§ Lord Mishcon
My Lords, does the Minister agree with the statement made only two days ago, on Tuesday 13th June, by his colleague Mr. Eggar, at a meeting at the Home Office? The statement was: Crack is by far the single greatest threat that faces the United Kingdom. It is worse in its social implications than the threat posed by any known disease". If the noble Earl agrees with the crisis note in that statement, will he see that, at the meeting, which I 1517 understand is to be convened on 26th July, of a group of Ministers interested, high up on the agenda will be the subject of a national education and information campaign? Will he see that consideration will be given to a registration scheme? Will the necessary personnel and funds be made available on the basis of a real crisis which is to be prevented?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I think that my honourable friend was quite right to draw attention to the very serious nature of crack and the severe implications which it could have upon this country. Certainly, on 26th July there is a meeting of the ministerial group on the misuse of drugs which will be chaired by my right honourable friend the Home Secretary. I shall see that he has the views of the noble Lord, Lord Mishcon, brought to his attention.

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, given that the source of the substances and the means of transmission to this country are overseas, and given the very grave level of the threat, is my noble friend satisfied with the level of international co-operation being achieved in the world? Can more be done to achieve a co-ordinated battle for the preservation of the populations of many countries from this threat?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I think that my noble friend is quite right. It is an international problem and also a European problem. Spain and Portugal have cultural links with South America, where the cocaine originates. Spain has had the largest seizure of cocaine for any European country. At the recent Council of Europe Pompidou group meeting, chaired by my right honourable friend the Home Secretary, it was agreed that an ad hoc working party would be set up to examine the response from Europe to the cocaine threat. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary announced that we plan to hold an international conference next year to look at ways of reducing the demand for drugs, including cocaine.
I remind my noble friend that on the international scene we give £1.8 million in order to try to encourage other countries to prevent the spread of cocaine.

§ Baroness David
My Lords, am I right in thinking that the DES makes money available through the education support grants to help with education about drugs in schools but that this money will be available only for one year? What are the educational plans for continuing the grants after the one year? Surely education will be needed for more than one year to cope with the problem.

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I am not equipped to give the answer to the noble Baroness; but I shall find out the information and let her know about it.

§ Lord Elwyn-Jones
My Lords, have any of the peddlers of this abominable drug been arrested yet?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, in the first three months of 1989 there were 27 seizures; there were 13 in 1988 1518 and six in 1987. So the seizures are increasing; but of course that may mean that the drugs trade is increasing, and that our perception of it and our intervention are also increasing.

The Viscount of Falkland
My Lords, does the noble Earl agree with me that one of the most bewildering and horrifying aspects of freebase cocaine, which is known as crack and is inhaled, is that the effects are felt by the user within 10 or 15 seconds? Almost invariably the effects are devastating, both psychologically and physically. They lead to untold misery for all kinds of people.
Bearing in mind what the noble Earl has said about the demand for the drug, is it not important that every effort should be made to inform people of the devastating effects of the drug, rather than being too timid about encouraging it through publicity?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I think that the noble Viscount, Lord Falkland, has a very serious point. The difficulty is the balance between informing people of the dangers of a drug and, by so doing, stimulating them in their desire to know what it is. The noble Viscount is perfectly right that crack is a crystalline form. When the smoke is inhaled it works almost immediately. Its lasting effects are very short, whereas the effects of cocaine start later and last longer. The danger of crack is that, certainly in the United States, it is relatively cheap. But once a person is hooked on it, he requires more and more; and he requires quicker inhalations of it. It therefore becomes more expensive and more addictive.

The Earl of Halsbury
My Lords, is not the importation, by smuggling, of an anti-social drug like this a violation of our sovereignty? On the basis that what is sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose, is it not high time that an international force sprayed defoliative drugs and chemicals on the sources of supply?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, an enormous international effort is being put into this problem. The noble Earl will know that, while certain objectives may be desirable, it is not always easy to fulfil them. Throughout the world a great effort is being put into precisely the problems about which the noble Earl is worried.

§ Lord Mishcon
My Lords, when the Minister referred so properly to the cheapness or comparative cheapness of the drug, is he not aware that the chief danger is quite obviously to our children? I am told that the drug can be obtained at a price of £2 and possibly at an extreme price of £5.

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, it may be that inflation has hit this side of the House more than the other. My understanding is that in the Linked States a "hit" of crack—I believe that is the expression—can be obtained for a few dollars and my information is that in the United Kingdom it costs between £5 and £10. The danger of that is that this market is therefore more attractive to the peddlers. So it is with cocaine, which in the United States costs £25 1519 a gramme and in the United Kingdom costs £60 to £80 a gramme. That means that those who wish to make large fortunes may well turn their attention to this country.

§ Viscount Eccles
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that in the United States, particularly in New York, the spread has been so great that television pictures have shown children selling crack to other children? That has made a great impression.

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I was not aware of that, but I imagine that it would make a great impression. That just shows what a terribly insidious drug this can be.

§ Lord Mancroft
My Lords, bearing in mind the enormous sums of money that drug cartels have at their disposal—we are talking about many billions of pounds—and are using to market their products, compared with the relatively small sums available to the Customs and police services, and in view of the fact that, with all the goodwill that is forthcoming, there is considerable difficulty in liaison between the various police forces in the United Kingdom, and between them and Customs, will the Government consider setting up a national drug enforcement agency as the Americans have done with much success?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I can assure my noble friend that the Government are keeping an acute eye on this whole problem. That is why a ministerial committee on drug misuse was set up. My noble friend will also realise that there are regional drug squads which work very effectively, and there is a co-ordinated effort between the police forces to crack down—

Noble Lords
Oh!

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, that was a rather unfortunate choice of words. However, there is a great co-ordination of effort between the police forces to deal with this terrible drug.