§ Dr. IddonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made towards the 10-year anti-drugs strategy targets of(a) halving the number of young people using Class A drugs, (b) halving the availability of Class A drugs, (c) doubling the number of drug misusers in treatment and (d) halving the levels of re-offending by drug-misusing offenders. [149865]
§ Caroline FlintThe Updated Drug Strategy published in December 2002 sets out revised targets aimed at reducing the harm caused by drug misuse to society communities, individuals and their families.
The current Drug Strategy targets are as follows:
Reduce the use of Class A drugs and the frequent use of any illicit drug among all young people under the age of 25 especially by the most vulnerable young people;Reduce the availability of illegal drugs by increasing the proportion of heroin and cocaine target on the UK which is taken out;the disruption/dismantling of those criminal groups responsible for supplying substantial quantities of Class A drugs to the UK market;the recovery of drug-related criminal assets;contribute to the reduction of opium production in Afghanistan, with poppy cultivation reduced by 70 per cent. within five years and elimination within 10 years;reduce drug-related crime, including as measured by the proportion of offenders testing positive at arrest;197Wincrease the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55 per cent. by 2004 and by 100 per cent. by 2008. And increase year on year the proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes.Information on progress against these targets is available as follows:
The Home Office Annual report 2002–03 published in May 2003 provides details of progress against each of the drug strategy targets.In addition, the Home Office Autumn report published in December 2003 provides an update on the young people and drug related crime targets. Both of these documents are in the Library and on the Home Office website.Recent information on the number of drug users receiving treatment was announced on 11 December 2003 and is available in the Library and on the Department of Health's website.Recent information on progress to reduce the availability of drugs which cause the most harm is available on Her Majesty's Custom & Excise website. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office website provides an update on the progress of poppy eradication in Afghanistan.