§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of random drugs tests in prisons on the use of(a) cannabis, (b) cocaine and (c) heroin. [86958]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe table sets out the percentages of random mandatory drug test (MDT) samples that have tested positive in each of the last three financial years. It is not possible to attribute any changes entirely to the MDT programme. Supply reduction and treatment programmes also impact on the level of drug misuse in prisons.
Percentage of random mandatory drug tests positive for cannabis, heroin and cocaine Drug type 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 Cannabis 19.9 16.5 14 Opiates (including heroin) 5.4 4.2 4.4 Cocaine 0.2 0.2 0.3