Reducing the harm from illegal drugs NAO report

The effect they have can change a lot depending on how much is taken. Click the button below or click on the relevant area of the map to find your closest support service. While there are a limited number of existing helplines run by small charities and support groups, these only cover a small proportion of the UK, and report significant demand. Too many patients do not therefore have access to this critical support.

However, under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, all of these are now illegal to supply, produce and import. Drug misuse data included in this release are sourced from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). Our User guide to crime statistics for England and Wales provides detailed information about the crime survey. If you’re going to do drugs and you feel like you can talk openly with your healthcare team, discussing it with them would be a good way of making sure you staying safe. — (1) Section 3(1) of the Act (which prohibits the importation and exportation of controlled drugs) shall not have effect in relation to the drugs specified in Schedule 5. It also has a role in the inspection of licensees and responding to adverse episodes such as the theft or unaccounted loss of controlled drugs from licensed premises.

Latest from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

We have asked local services to ensure pathways are in place to meet this increase in demand. Services provide a range of residential and community-based support for people including supervised detox, crisis care, psychosocial therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and rehabilitation. Temporary class drugs are new drugs the government can ban for a year before it is decided how they should be classed.

Source: Office for National Statistics – Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)

It is a criminal offence for anyone to supply you with nitrous oxide for recreational use. You may be more likely to try it after a few drinks and the dizzy feeling can increase the risk of you falling over and injuring yourself. This, along with suffocation from lack of oxygen, is a major risk of taking the drug. When it is inhaled, it can make people feel happy, relaxed, dizzy and lead to hallucinations. See our #MedSafetyWeek page on how to get involved and help us raise awareness. Get involved and support by reposting, liking and sharing our posts using #MHRAYellowCard and #MedSafetyWeek on social media.

These numbers underline that while heroin and alcohol remain at the heart of treatment demand, other drugs are steadily pulling people into services as well. Your experience can ensure that all healthcare products can continue their positive impact on peoples’ lives, by helping the MHRA identify new safety issues as early as possible. The R3 service offers a wide range of support to individuals and their families who wish to receive advice, assessment, and treatment for their drug and/or alcohol problems. We’re working towards a future free from harm caused by alcohol, drug and mental health challenges, where anyone seeking help feels welcomed, not judged. We published a mixed-methods research compendium (March 2022) evaluating issues concerning the drugs and alcohol workforce in Scotland.

• The range of variability for these drugs will be quite large because of sampling variability so figures will be liable to fluctuation from year to year.
• It is too early to conclude whether the 2021 strategy will reduce the harm from illegal drugs.
• You should always check with a doctor or an adult you trust before taking them.
• Misuse can involve being dependent on substances or taking them in a way that causes harm.

An unknown proportion of respondents may not report their behaviour honestly. However, the CSEW provides consistent measures of drug use and comparisons over time remain valid. In the year ending June 2022, 2.6% of adults aged 16 to 59 years were frequent drug users (approximately 862,000). Around 274,000 young adults aged 16 to 24 years were frequent users of drugs in the year ending June 2022 (4.7%). Importation or exportation of a controlled drug may only take place lawfully child porn under licence issued in accordance with Section 3(2)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.