"Moves to help addicts kick their habit have been thwarted by senior Conservatives “playing politics” with the lives of vulnerable people ahead of the general election, the drugs minister has claimed.
Norman Baker opened a new Coalition rift after he condemned the Tories for “suppressing” two Home Office reports which set out plans to tackle addiction and combat the popularity of “legal highs”.
His attack came on the eve of the Lib Dem conference in Glasgow which will lay bare the differences between the Coalition partners on human rights, anti-terror legislation, health spending and welfare cuts. Simon Hughes, the justice minister, will also today condemn his Tory boss, Chris Grayling, for banning prisoners from receiving books.
In an interview with the Independent, Mr Baker disclosed the drugs reports were still gathering dust, with no date for publication, despite being ready since July. He blamed the Conservatives for blocking them for “political reasons”.
He said: “We have wasted three months when we could be taking action to save lives. It is irresponsible to play politics with these sort of issues.”
One report analysed approaches around the world to tackling drug use, including Portugal, where possession has been decriminalised, and Switzerland, where heroin addicts are given controlled doses to wean them off the drug.
Mr Baker said the report, written by Home Office officials, had examined the evidence from abroad and made recommendations on the lessons for Britain.
“The idea we can bang up prison sentences and that will cure the drug problem is ludicrous. We need to learn from this and adopt best practice,” he said.
“But perhaps our Conservative colleagues in government find some of the conclusions and observations inconvenient because they don’t fit with their prejudices.”
A parallel report examined the worldwide popularity of so-called “legal highs”, chemicals designed to replicate the effects of illegal substances, which have been linked to dozens of recent deaths in Britain.
It backed action against “head shops” which sell the substances and against the suppliers behind the booming trade, as well as better education of the dangers of legal highs.
“I want to get on with tackling these substances. In the meantime, because the Tories are blocking these papers, the recommendations in them have not been acted upon,” he said.
The initial decision over whether to publish the reports would have been taken by the Home Secretary Theresa May, although final approval on such a sensitive subject would rest with Downing Street.
Under Lynton Crosby, the Tories’ election strategist, the party has been attempting to narrow its focus to core issues such as the economy, immigration and welfare cuts, a strategy that may have had a part to play in the delay.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has called for the end of imprisonment for possessing drugs for personal use. The party also backs a commission to examine current drugs legislation, which the Lib Dem leader has denounced as “utterly senseless”.
In contrast Ms May has said there is no case for “fundamentally rethinking the UK’s approach to drugs” and argued the Government’s strategy was working.
The Conservatives were yet to respond to Mr Baker’s comments last night."
... more - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-abuse-says-home-office-minister-9773938.html
Norman Baker opened a new Coalition rift after he condemned the Tories for “suppressing” two Home Office reports which set out plans to tackle addiction and combat the popularity of “legal highs”.
His attack came on the eve of the Lib Dem conference in Glasgow which will lay bare the differences between the Coalition partners on human rights, anti-terror legislation, health spending and welfare cuts. Simon Hughes, the justice minister, will also today condemn his Tory boss, Chris Grayling, for banning prisoners from receiving books.
In an interview with the Independent, Mr Baker disclosed the drugs reports were still gathering dust, with no date for publication, despite being ready since July. He blamed the Conservatives for blocking them for “political reasons”.
He said: “We have wasted three months when we could be taking action to save lives. It is irresponsible to play politics with these sort of issues.”
One report analysed approaches around the world to tackling drug use, including Portugal, where possession has been decriminalised, and Switzerland, where heroin addicts are given controlled doses to wean them off the drug.
Mr Baker said the report, written by Home Office officials, had examined the evidence from abroad and made recommendations on the lessons for Britain.
“The idea we can bang up prison sentences and that will cure the drug problem is ludicrous. We need to learn from this and adopt best practice,” he said.
“But perhaps our Conservative colleagues in government find some of the conclusions and observations inconvenient because they don’t fit with their prejudices.”
A parallel report examined the worldwide popularity of so-called “legal highs”, chemicals designed to replicate the effects of illegal substances, which have been linked to dozens of recent deaths in Britain.
It backed action against “head shops” which sell the substances and against the suppliers behind the booming trade, as well as better education of the dangers of legal highs.
“I want to get on with tackling these substances. In the meantime, because the Tories are blocking these papers, the recommendations in them have not been acted upon,” he said.
The initial decision over whether to publish the reports would have been taken by the Home Secretary Theresa May, although final approval on such a sensitive subject would rest with Downing Street.
Under Lynton Crosby, the Tories’ election strategist, the party has been attempting to narrow its focus to core issues such as the economy, immigration and welfare cuts, a strategy that may have had a part to play in the delay.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has called for the end of imprisonment for possessing drugs for personal use. The party also backs a commission to examine current drugs legislation, which the Lib Dem leader has denounced as “utterly senseless”.
In contrast Ms May has said there is no case for “fundamentally rethinking the UK’s approach to drugs” and argued the Government’s strategy was working.
The Conservatives were yet to respond to Mr Baker’s comments last night."
... more - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-abuse-says-home-office-minister-9773938.html
