The sale and use of illegal drugs costs UK society some £20 billion a year and inflicts significant harm on individuals, their families and wider communities. Around three million people in England and Wales use illegal drugs, with 10% of these people using the most harmful drugs, specifically opiates and crack cocaine. In 2021 almost 3,000 people in England died because of drug misuse, with thousands more suffering complex health problems. The distribution of drugs also generates significant levels of violence, with around half of homicides linked to gangs involved in the distribution and sale of drugs. The emergence of ‘County Lines’ has seen increasing violence as gangs compete for market share, and the exploitation of vulnerable people by these gangs.

In December 2021 government published a new 10-year drugs strategy – From harm to hope. The government is seeking to reduce drug use to a 30-year low and reduce drug-related deaths and crime. It has allocated £903 million of additional funding over the period 2022–23 to 2024–25, including £105 million to disrupt the supply of drugs; £768 million to help create a “world class treatment and recovery system”; and £30 million to create a “generational shift” in the demand for illegal drugs. The Home Office leads on UK drug policy, UK borders and organised crime, policing and crime reduction in England and Wales. The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) is responsible for overseeing the substance misuse treatment and recovery sector. In 2021, the government established the cross-government Joint Combating Drugs Unit (JCDU) to co-ordinate and oversee the implementation of its strategy. In addition to the Home Office and DHSC, the other departments involved are the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC), and the Department for Education (DfE). Local authorities are responsible for commissioning local drug and alcohol treatment services.