British Government Releases New Drug Strategy

INTERNATIONAL November 1994

Four cabinet ministers released the government's plan for England's drug policy for the next three years (Alan Travis, "Government Liberalises Tough Drugs Strategy," Manchester Guardian Weekly, Oct. 30, 1994, p. 1).

Some of the features of the new plan include more drug education in public schools, testing prison inmates for drug use, and the establishment of a drug counseling hotline.

"Enforcement in itself is not enough to fight drugs. We have to persuade our young people not to resort to drugs in the first place," said Tony McNewton, the Cabinet member in charge of the committee on drugs. "And for those who are dependent on drugs, we want to ensure easy access to cost effective treatment services across the country."

Guidelines for schools about how to handle children who are caught with drugs will be released next month, but are expected to advise that administrators offer counseling and guidance rather than expel students. The inmate testing program will test 60,000 people every year with penalties of 28 more days in jail, confinement, or loss of privileges as punishments for positive tests.