Chapter 23: Action against illegal drugs
Aim
Reduce the harm that drugs cause to society, including communities, individuals and their families.
Objectives and performance targets
Objective I: help young people resist drug misuse in order to achieve their full potential in society.
1. 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.
Objective II: protect our communities from drug-related anti-social and criminal behaviour.
2. Reduce drug-related crime, including as measured by the proportion of offenders testing positive at arrest.
Objective III: enable people with drug problems to overcome them and live healthy and crime-free lives.
3. Increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55% by 2004 and by 100% by 2008, and increase year on year the proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes.
Objective IV: stifle the availability of illegal drugs on our streets.
4. Reduce the availability of illegal drugs by increasing :
- the proportion of heroin and cocaine targeted 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; and
- the recovery of drug-related criminal assets.
Who is responsible for delivery?
This PSA covers Government activity against illegal drugs, coordinated by the Home Secretary, and also led by the Secretary of State for Health, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury. On behalf of Ministerial colleagues, the Home Secretary, supported by the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Education and Skills takes the lead on target 1. The Home Secretary's prime contribution is through effective management of the Drugs Prevention Advisory Service and supported for local anti-drugs partnerships. The Home Secretary has lead responsibility for delivery of target 2. The Secretary of State for Health has lead responsibility for delivery of target 3. The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has lead responsibility for delivery of target 4, supported by the Home Secretary. Anti-drugs operations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are managed consistent with the responsibilities of the devolved administrations.