There were 105,570 drug offences recorded in England and Wales in 2004, a 21 per cent fall from the 133,970 offences recorded in 2003. 'Class A' offences (the most serious) rose by 2 per cent to 36,350.
Source: Lungowe Mwenda, Drug Offenders in England and Wales 2004, Statistical Bulletin 23/05, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Bulletin | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
A new book examined the available evidence on a range of issues relating to the use of cannabis among children and adolescents. Areas covered included: patterns of cannabis use; young people's views on cannabis; the potential harmful effects, including mental health problems, educational attainment, and anti-social behaviour; the family and social factors that could initiate cannabis use; and the effects of decriminalization.
Source: Richard Jenkins, Cannabis and Young People: Reviewing the evidence, Jessica Kingsley Publishers (020 7833 2307)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Dec
A study examined the experiences of heroin use among a group of non-dependent and controlled dependent users. There was a largely hidden population of people who used heroin in stable and controlled ways over long periods of time. A better understanding of this point could lead to strategies to help chaotic users control their heroin use, and to encourage users to take greater responsibility for regulating their own drug use.
Source: Hamish Warburton, Paul Turnbull and Mike Hough, Occasional and Controlled Heroin Use: Not a problem?, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings
Date: 2005-Dec
A report examined the history of temperance, and how it could inform contemporary alcohol policy.
Source: Virginia Berridge, Temperance: Its history and impact on current and future alcohol policy, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | Summary | LSHTM press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A report presented the findings from a large-scale survey in England and Wales designed to measure the criminal careers of representative samples of sentenced offenders through self-report methodology. The surveys also collected information on drug use patterns, thus throwing further light on the drug-crime link.
Source: Tracey Budd, Patrick Collier, Bonny Mhlanga, Clare Sharp and Guy Weir, Levels of Self-Report Offending and Drug Use among Offenders: Findings from the criminality surveys, Online Report 18/05, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2005-Nov
A report said that England and Wales remained at or near the top of the European table for abuse of cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy.
Source: The state of the drugs problem in Europe: Annual report 2005, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (info@emcdda.eu.int)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Nov
A report examined drugs, solvents and alcohol use and awareness among school children in Northern Ireland in 2003.
Source: Secondary Analysis of the 2003 Young Persons Behaviour and Attitudes Survey (Drugs, Solvents and Alcohol), Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 0500)
Links: Report | NIE press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A new book examined the connexion between alcohol and crime, and the way the criminal justice system responded to the problem.
Source: Gavin Dingwall, Alcohol and Crime, Willan Publishing (01884 840337)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Nov
A report examined the relationship between local drug markets and their host communities. Tackling drug markets solely in terms of policing crime risked misunderstanding the way in which they worked: more flexible responses were necessary.
Source: Tiggey May, Martin Duffy, Bradley Few and Mike Hough, Understanding Drug Selling in Communities: Insider or outsider trading?, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings | JRF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Nov
A statistical bulletin considered the extent of illicit drug use among people aged 16-59 in England and Wales in 2004-05, and trends in drug use since 1998, based on data from the British Crime Survey. Among young people, aged 16-24, use of Any drug had decreased, and 'Class A' drug use had remained stable, since 1998.
Source: Drug Misuse Declared: Findings from the 2004/05 British Crime Survey, Statistical Bulletin 16/05, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Bulletin (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Oct
A survey found that more than 1 in 3 young women said they had been sexually assaulted after getting drunk.
Source: Anatomy of a Big Night Out, Portman Group (020 7907 3700)
Links: Portman Group press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Sep
There were 109,410 drug seizures by police and HM Revenue & Customs in England and Wales in 2003 4 per cent fewer than in the previous year.
Source: Lungowe Mwenda, Maryam Ahmad and Kavita Kumari, Seizures of Drugs in England And Wales: 2003, Research Findings 265, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Findings (pdf)
Date: 2005-Aug
A report provided estimates of the proportion of young people in England aged 11-15 who smoked, drank alcohol or took illegal drugs. Girls were more likely than boys to smoke during the early years of secondary school, and more likely to get drunk or be sick after consuming too much alcohol. Fears that the change in classification of cannabis would result in an increased use of the drug by young people were found to have been misplaced.
Source: Elizabeth Fuller (ed.), Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England in 2004, NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (0845 300 6016)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Natcen press release (Word file) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Aug
A report examined the prevalence of, and trends in, illicit drug use in Northern Ireland among respondents aged 16-59. 27 per cent of respondents reported having used at least one type of illicit drug at some time in their lives.
Source: S. McMullan and D. Ruddy, Experience of Drug Misuse: Findings from the 2003/04 Northern Ireland Crime Survey, Research and Statistical Bulletin 10/2005, Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 7534)
Links: Report (pdf) | NIO press release
Date: 2005-Jul
A report presented the interim findings from the first 6 months of the restriction on bail pilots. The pilots (introduced in three sites in May 2004) allowed for attendance at a drugs assessment, and any relevant treatment/follow-up, to be imposed as a condition of bail for people testing positive on a charge related specified 'class A' drugs.
Source: Anthea Hucklesby, Catherine Eastwood, Toby Seddon and Angela Spriggs, The Evaluation of the Restriction on Bail Pilots: Implementation lessons from the first six months, Online Report 36/05, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jul
A government think-tank report said that the number of hardcore heroin and crack cocaine addicts could treble within 20 years, putting an overwhelming burden on the nation's health and criminal justice systems.
Source: Drugs Futures 2025?, Department of Trade and Industry (0870 150 2500)
Links: Report (pdf) | DTI press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jul
A report surveyed drug use among young people (aged 10-15) over the period 1987-2004.
Source: Young People and Illegal Drugs: Attitudes to and experience of illegal drugs 1987-2004, Schools Health Education Unit (01392 667272)
Links: Summary | Drugscope press release
Date: 2005-Jun
An annual report provided an overview of illegal drug use in the United Kingdom. Prevalence in the general population of illegal drug use remained stable, with lifetime prevalence being over a third, and 7-12 per cent of adults having used drugs in the previous year.
Source: Gail Eaton, Michela Morleo, Alan Lodwick, Mark Bellis and Jim McVeigh (eds.), United Kingdom Drug Situation: Annual report to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) 2004 edition, Centre for Public Health/Liverpool John Moores University (0151 231 4510)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
A report said that volatile substance abuse was responsible for more deaths among children aged 10-16 than illegal drugs: yet the problem remained hidden owing to prejudice and a lack of public awareness.
Source: Simon Blake, Dangerous Highs, National Children?s Bureau (020 7843 6029) and ChildLine
Links: Summary | Young People Now report
Date: 2005-Jun
An article said that society embraced the 'night-time economy' - and the jobs, urban regeneration and taxation that the industry generated - while seeking to punish the routine transgressions of its primary consumers. Although 'binge drinking' youths dominated the headlines, it was older drinkers that were most likely to succumb to alcohol-related death.
Source: Dick Hobbs, 'Binge drinking' and the binge economy', Seven Deadly Sins: A new look at society through an old lens, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Article | ESRC press release
Date: 2005-Jun
A report examined 'binge drinking' and its association with crime and disorder - particularly violent crime - among young adults (aged 18-24). 44 per cent of young adults were identified as binge drinkers (that is, they felt very drunk at least once a month). 27 per cent of binge drinkers among young adults admitted they had committed an offence in the previous 12 months, compared with 13 per cent of other regular drinkers.
Source: Sian Matthews and Anna Richardson, Findings from the 2003 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey: Alcohol-related Crime and Disorder, Research Findings 261, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Findings (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
Researchers found that young people in vulnerable groups represented more than half (61 per cent) of 'class A' (the most serious) drug users in 2003.
Source: Jane Becker and Stephen Roe, Drug Use Among Vulnerable Groups of Young People: Findings from the 2003 Crime and Justice Survey, Research Study 254, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Study (pdf)
Date: 2005-May
A statistical bulletin considered the extent of illicit drug use among those aged 16-59 in England and Wales in 2003-04, and trends in drug use, based on data from the British Crime Survey. Among people aged 16-24, use of any drug had decreased significantly since 1998, and 'class A' (the most serious) drug use had remained stable. For those aged 16-59, the use of any drug had remained stable, and class A drug use had increased significantly.
Source: Natalia Chivite-Matthews et al., Drug Misuse Declared: Findings from the 2003/04 British Crime Survey, Statistical Bulletin 04/05, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Bulletin (pdf)
Date: 2005-May
A report provided a systematic review of research literature on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing criminal behaviour among drug users. Overall, the results of the various analyses conducted were positive. The odds of a reduction in criminal behaviour were 41 per cent higher among the experimental groups (those that had undertaken treatment intervention) than in the comparison groups.
Source: Katy Holloway, Trevor Bennett and David Farrington, The Effectiveness of Criminal Justice and Treatment Programmes in Reducing Drug-Related Crime: A systematic review, Online Report 26/05, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-May
The Drugs Act was given Royal assent. The Act gave the police powers to test for the most serious ('class A') drugs on arrest, and require those who tested positive to attend a drugs assessment and follow-up appointment; made dealing near a school, or using children as couriers for drugs or drugs-related money, an aggravating factor in sentencing; and established a new drug intervention order to run alongside anti-social behaviour orders to address drug misuse by people committing anti-social acts.
Source: Drugs Act 2005, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | Home Office press release | JUSTICE press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Apr
A research report said that there was "increasing evidence" of the effectiveness of a scheme aimed at tackling substance misuse among young people.
Source: MORI, Positive Futures: Key Elements - Wave 4, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Apr
A study said that drug treatment and prevention services had concentrated on problem users, while overlooking the serious damage caused to their families including younger brothers and sisters who were at added risk of developing drug problems themselves.
Source: Marina Barnard, Drugs in the Family: The impact on parents and siblings, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 0215 | JRF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Apr
A report said that young people saw the media as an important source of information about drugs and alcohol: but it highlighted concerns about the quality and reliability of the information available.
Source: Media Messages: A review of drug related messages reaching young people, DrugScope (020 7928 1211)
Links: Report (pdf) | DrugScope press release
Date: 2005-Apr
A new book provided an overview of current theory and research on the links between drugs, alcohol use, and crime.
Source: Trevor Bennett and Katy Holloway, Understanding Drugs, Alcohol and Crime, Open University Press (01280 823388)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Apr
A report by a committee of MPs said that drug treatment and testing orders were 'like a get out of jail free card'. Only 25 per cent of those who accepted the rehabilitation programme ever completed it - with wide variations across the country.
Source: The Drug Treatment and Testing Order: Early lessons, Ninth Report (Session 2004-05), HC 403, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Mar
In 2003 the total number of drug offences in England and Wales rose 5 per cent from the 2002 level, to 133,970. Class A offences (the most serious) rose 6 per cent to 35,610, Class B rose 5 per cent to 94,520, and Class C offences decreased 2 per cent to 1,660.
Source: Lungowe Mwenda and Kavita Kumari, Drug Offenders in England and Wales 2003, Research Findings 256, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Findings (pdf) | Tables (Excel file)
Date: 2005-Mar
The government accepted proposals from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs designed to reduce drug-taking by young people. It accepted the need to improve data on the children of problem drug users, and to update its drugs strategy to focus more on reducing harm to young people.
Source: Government Response to Hidden Harm: The report of an inquiry by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Response (pdf) | DfES press release | Drugscope press release | Young People Now report
Date: 2005-Mar
The Scottish Executive published a Bill to reform the licensing laws, and tackle under-age and binge drinking.
Source: Licensing (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Text of Bill (pdf) | Explanatory notes (pdf) | SE press release
Date: 2005-Mar
The government asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to reassess its position on the classification of cannabis, and to provide advice on claims of a greater prevalence in the United Kingdom of increased-strength cannabis.
Source: Press release 19 March 2005, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release | Drugscope press release | Rethink press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Mar
A study reviewed the ethics and practicalities of random drug-testing in schools, and considered its likely effectiveness. It argued against the wider use of such testing until there was better evidence concerning its likely impact.
Source: Neil McKeganey, Random Drug Testing of Schoolchildren: A shot in the arm or a shot in the foot for drug prevention?, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 0095 | JRF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Feb
The Drugs Bill was given a third reading. The Bill strengthened police powers, so that more drug-abusing offenders would be helped to reform, and more drug dealers brought to justice - linked to new investment in drug treatment and rehabilitation.
Source: Drugs Bill, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 22 February 2005, columns 235-282, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | HOC Library research paper (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
Researchers interviewed 64 young people (aged 14 to 17) to find out why they got drunk, and what happened when they did. Young people who took part in binge drinking sessions out of doors, or in other unsupervised locations, ran an especially high risk of harming their health or safety.
Source: Lester Coleman and Suzanne Cater, Underage 'Risky' Drinking: Motivations and outcomes, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 0045 | JRF press release
Date: 2005-Feb
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that powers in the Drugs Bill to compulsorily test offenders for drugs at the point of arrest, and enforce intervention orders, could breach article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which allowed the right to respect for private life.
Source: Scrutiny: Third Progress Report, Seventh Report (Session 2004-05), HL 47 and HC 333, Joint Committee on Human Rights (House of Lords and House of Commons), TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Community Care report
Date: 2005-Feb
The Drugs Bill was given a second reading. The Bill strengthened police powers, so that more drug-abusing offenders would be helped to reform, and more drug dealers brought to justice - linked to new investment in drug treatment and rehabilitation.
Source: Drugs Bill, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 18 January 2005, columns 689-785, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | HOC Library research paper (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jan
The government began consultation on a series of proposals to tackle binge and underage drinking. There would be powers to recover policing costs from pubs and bars which caused the most disorder, through the designation of alcohol disorder zones .
Source: Drinking Responsibly: The government s proposals, Home Office (0870 000 1585), Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Home Office press release | Alcohol Concern press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jan
Researchers examined the feasibility of a general population survey of self-report offending and drug use. They said that development work showed that such a survey could be conducted successfully. But a full study covering young people (aged 16-29) living in communal establishments would not be justified.
Source: Crime and Justice Survey: General Population Feasibility Study, Online Report 04/05, Home Office (web publication only) | Crime and Justice Survey: Communal Establishments Feasibility Study, Online Report 05/05, Home Office
Links: Report 04 (pdf) | Report 05 (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jan
A new book re-examined the origin, validity and limits of existing practice in relation to drug addiction. It criticized the narrow approach of medical models and criminal justice interventions; and it challenged the preoccupations of national policy and international research, arguing that addiction was the product of deeper human concerns of identity, meaning and exclusion.
Source: Phil Harris, Drug Induced: Addiction and treatment in perspective, Russell House Publishing (01297 443948)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Jan