Home Affairs ready to work with Health on drugs plans

Rob Prow was speaking in the wake of a recent Combined Substance Use Strategy from Health & Social Care in which it puts forward a number of key performance indicators for the future of working with people who have issues with alcohol, tobacco or drugs.

Although not explicit in the KPIs, the future treatment of people found in possession of drugs is something that Public Health said needs to be addressed.

‘There should be a public and professional consultation on new approaches to possession offences for individuals found to be in possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use,’ it said in the report.

‘Alternative and non-punitive approaches to drug possession offences are compatible with international drug control conventions and contemporary international drug policy norms.’

Home Affairs is prepared to work with Health on its plans, said Deputy Prow.

The committee has already started to look at non-punitive measures for the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use as part of the Justice Review.

Deputy Prow said it was consulted on the strategy and was grateful to HSC for the chance to give feedback.

‘Any workstreams where the committee is identified in the KPIs have been discussed with HSC and will need to be appropriately prioritised and resourced for progression jointly,’ he said.

All aspects of the strategy have been discussed in meetings with HSC and Public Health and work was in the early stages of development. It would be progressed jointly by Home and the Health committee, with the latter taking the lead.

‘This is a complex workstream with cross-committee and cross-agency considerations, including how any changes interact with other legislative provisions, the Justice Review, and questions about the practical implementation of any proposals,’ he said.

It has been identified in the Government Work Plan, approved by the States last month, so progress should happen in this political term.