The Government’s anti-drugs “czar”, Keith Hellawell, has announced a wide-ranging consultation on the future of drugs policy which will focus partly on young people.
Mr Hellawell, currently also chief constable of West Yorkshire, has to report to the Government in the spring on four areas of policy: young people, local communities, treatment and international action. He is about to consult government departments and other agencies about their work in each area.
At a recent conference in Coventry on young people and drugs, he appealed for agencies to give their views on a consistent approach to enforcement, treatment of addicts, prevention and education. He also wants ideas for improving local anti-drug initiatives.
He said that he has an open mind on research from the London borough of Hackney, published last week by the Home Office. It found that children who had been told about the dangers of abuse at 10 were less likely to take drugs at 14 than their peers who had not received any drugs education.
