§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the conference on the global economy of illegal drugs held in London on 25 and 26 June. [2017]
§ Mr. BradshawThis conference was the first attempt in an international gathering to address aspects of the economy of the illegal drugs trade. The conference attracted over 200 participants from 60 countries, and leading speakers in their fields. The conference looked at a number of key interrelated areas in the illegal drugs economy, including factors influencing production of illegal drugs; middle markets and how best to attack them; and the wider corrosive impacts of the drugs trade internationally, including its impact on livelihoods, governance, environment, legitimate trade and conflict. The conference also addressed the relationship between the drugs trade and other areas of illegal economic activity. These are important issues for the UK's drugs strategy and for our wider foreign policy, which we intend to follow up in the coming months.