British government announces 'largest ever increase' in funding for drug treatment

British government announces 'largest ever increase' in funding for drug treatment
December 7, 2021, 7:50 am

Drug addiction/Pixabay

The Xinhua reported, the British government on Monday unveiled its 10-year drug strategy, with the "largest ever increase" in funding for drug treatment.

According to a government press release, the strategy is backed by a new investment of almost 780 million pounds (about 1.03 billion U.S. dollars) for treatment -- "the largest ever increase, bringing total spending on drug enforcement and treatment to more than 3 billion pounds over the next three years."

England-London-Westminster-Westminster bridge/Pixabay

The Xinhua mentioned that the strategy has a heavy focus on targeting users and suppliers. It sets out an investment of 300 million pounds to crack down on supply chains and criminal gangs profiting from the trade in illegal drugs.

It seeks to deter people from drug use through a range of potential civil penalties which could include fines, curfews, or in the most exceptional cases, the temporary removal of driving licenses or passports.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in the press release: "This is a huge moment which will save lives. We're investing a record amount into treatment services with money to break the cycle of drug use and to support communities by cutting the drug use which drives crime."

Source: xinhua

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