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UK policy

For all the latest updates from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of drugs (ACMD) please see the ACMD webpage

For the latest Government policy documents on reducing drugs misuse and dependence please see the Government's Alcohol and Drugs Policy page

NBOMe compounds: a review of the evidence of use and harm (ACMD) 2014

ACMD Recovery Committee: second report, November 2013

Benzofurans: A review of the evidence of use and harm (ACMD) 2013

Ketamine report (ACMD) 2013

ACMD advice on the scheduling of GHB (ACMD) 2013

ACMD advice on the scheduling of khat (ACMD) 2013

ACMD - Recovery from drug and alcohol dependence: an overview of the evidence (2012)

Drugs: Breaking the Cycle, Home Affairs Committee 2012

Drug Strategy 2010 - 'Reducing demand, restricting supply, building recovery: supporting people to live a drug-free life' Home Office, UK. Dec 2010

Impact assessment - This document provides an overarching assessment of the impacts of the new drug strategy Home Office, UK - Dec 2010

Drug Strategy Consultation, 2010 Summary of the consultation responses Home Office, UK, Dec 2010

Cross-government drugs research strategy - Feb 2010

Home Office - The 2008 Drug strategy - one year on, 2009(PDF 347KB)

A review of MDMA ('ecstasy'), its harms and classification under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (PDF 377KB) 2009

Drugs: protecting families and communities - 2008-2018 strategy, 2008
Download: Full report (PDF 1 MB)

Drug Strategy: Action Plan 2008-2011 2008

Cannabis: classification and public health, 2008
The reasons for the majority decision by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) against reclassification.

Home Office Cannabis Potency Study 2008
Report from ACMD representing the Council’s response to the Home Secretary’s request for more information on the potential mental health effects of cannabis.

National Community Safety Plan 2008-11 2007 (PDF 254KB)

Safe, sensible, social - the next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy Summary. UK. Home office, 2007 (PDF 1MB)

Cutting crime - a new partnership. The Home Office Crime Strategy 2007 (PDF 1MB)

Report of Second Tier Activity in the Drugs Sector: final report. 2007 (PDF 217KB)

Drug laws and licensing: Personal licences for travellers who are carrying certain controlled drugs abroad (PDF 202KB) See the guidance here 2007 (PDF 26KB)

Drug classification: making a hash of it?: Fifth report of Session 2005-06: report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence, ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 2006

ACMD report on the classification of Cannabis 2006

Home Office corporate plan 2005-6

Tackling Drugs. Changing Lives 2004 (PDF 1MB)

Hidden Harm: Executive Summary 2003 (PDF 703KB)

Drug Interventions Programme 2003

Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain 1998

Scottish policy

Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy. 2nd Annual Report - 2012

Alcohol Etc. (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 34) (PDF 1.8MB) 2009
An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision regulating the sale of alcohol and licensing of premises on which alcohol is sold and to make provision for the imposition of charges on holders of licences granted under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.

The Road to Recovery: a new approach to tackling Scotland's drug problem (PDF)
The Scottish Government's new national drugs strategy.

Drugs Action Plan: Protecting our Future [modified 2006] (PDF 1.4MB)

Prevention and treatment of substance misuse: delivering the right medicine: a strategy for pharmaceutical care in Scotland 2005

Scottish Executive's Annual Report on Drugs Misuse 2003

Interim National Key Indicators Report for Scotland 2000

Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership 1999

Scottish Drug Misuse Information Strategy 1998

Welsh strategy

Working Together to Reduce Harm - The Substance Misuse Strategy for Wales 2008-2018. 2008.
Report setting out new 10 year strategy which aims to set out a national agenda for tackling and reducing the harms associated with substance misuse in Wales.
Download: Full report (PDF 982KB)

Tackling subtance misuse in Wales: A partnership approach 2000-2008 (PDF 2.1MB)