Orders of the Day — Drugs Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 5:24 pm on 18 January 2005.

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Photo of Tim Loughton Tim Loughton Shadow Minister (Children) 5:24, 18 January 2005

I cannot give the names, but at least two education authorities were cited at the time, a year ago, and it was mentioned in the national press as well. It is not just anecdotal. There were serious pressures on drug education officers in schools at a time when cannabis was being declassified and it was most necessary to get across the vital message that had been distorted by the actions that the Government had wrongly taken.

I share the concerns of Turning Point, in particular, about the need for treatment in the community for drug users who have not committed a crime and for whom prompt access to suitable, appropriate treatment could keep them off the slippery slope of drugs and crime—the vicious circle that I mentioned.

In all the areas that I have mentioned there is a need for much better joined-up, inter-agency working between the Prison Service, youth offending teams, schools, youth services, health services, social services and the police. We need to ensure that the professionals are on the ground working at the sharp end with people who have these problems. If we do not get those structures right, the Bill will not count for much. It is just one part of the jigsaw.