Tories ’toned down’ report backing drug consumption rooms
KEY HEALTH STUDY IS REWRITTEN Anger over changes made to sections on overdoses
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THE UK Government has been accused of “toning down” a study that gave strong support to drug consumption rooms.
A Government-funded research paper was highly modified after major support in Scotland emerged for life-saving facilities that would let addicts inject in safer conditions. The revision of Public Health England research came a month after the Daily Record’s landmark front page calling for the decriminalisation of drug use. Changes were applied after the Home Office was criticised for blocking plans for a drug consumption room (DCR) pilot in Glasgow, a venture supported by the Scottish Government. Among the changes was the insertion of a statement that reflected the Tories’ opposition to DCRs, which they still peddle more than 18 months later. The study issued in August 2019 also plays down many of the findings in the March version that were supportive of the way DCRs can help reduce overdose deaths and other harms. It deleted sections that pointed out how DCRs in Europe and other parts of the world have reduced crime and cut down on the littering of syringes. In a “key messages” section, the original report said: “DCRs have contributed to lower rates of fatal overdoses”.
This was deleted from the final version of PHE’s study, titled What is the Current Evidence for the Efficacy of Drug Consumption Rooms?
The current legal impasse has forced activist Peter Krykant to launch an unofficial service in Glasgow city centre.
Martin Powell, of the Transform Drugs Policy Foundation, was astonished when the changes came to light.
He said: “PHE’s policy experts looked at the evidence and concluded that supervised drug consumption rooms save lives, engage the homeless with services, reduce discarded needles, and help police manage street injecting, all without increasing crime.
“The revised version cites no evidence that weakens the original study… and yet key conclusions – especially regarding impact on overdose deaths – have been removed.
“It looks like a response to political pressure from a Government determined to stick to its view that safer consumption facilities are ‘a distraction’, rather than an evidence-based approach to saving lives.”
Tory MP Crispin Blunt, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for drug policy reform, slammed his own government.
He said: “If the evidence supports the use of drug consumption rooms, which it does, then these should be allowed to go ahead.”
Rosanna O’Connor, director of drugs, alcohol and tobacco at PHE, defended the revisions.
She said: “The authors agreed to reissue the briefing to more precisely and accurately reflect the evidence base. Additional changes were also made independently by the authors.
“The briefing is not a statement of PHE’s position on drug consumption rooms, but an evidence summary. The tone has been made more neutral.
“The content regarding the legal status was an addition made because it was relevant for the reader to understand there was no legal framework to support drug consumption rooms or plans to change the law.”
SCOTCH whisky producers have raised a glass in celebration after tariffs on US exports were removed by President Joe Biden.
UK Trade Secretary Liz Truss announced the news distilleries had been waiting to hear yesterday.
A 25 per cent tariff was imposed on US imports of Scotch whisky in October 2019 as part of a tit-for-tat trade war over subsidies to aerospace firms. Scotch exports were badly affected by US tariffs on £5.6billion of goods in retaliation for EU state support given to Airbus.
It had been speculated that Donald Trump would lift the tariff at the end of his presidency but a deal was never agreed.
Whisky bosses said yesterday’s move would give a massive boost to Scotland’s multi-billion pound industry.
Karen Betts, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, said: “The tariff on single malt Scotch whisky exports to the US has been doing real damage to Scotch whisky in the 16 months it has been in place, with exports to the US falling by 35 per cent, costing companies over half a billion pounds.
“Suspending these tariffs – stemming from a transatlantic trade dispute that had nothing to do with us – and a return to tariff-free trade with the US means livelihoods and communities across Scotland will be protected.
“It means that companies can now really focus on recovery – on building back the American market as well as on building back global exports hit by the coronavirus pandemic.”
Tariffs will also be lifted on UK cheese, cashmere and machinery.
Simon Cotton, boss of Speyside-based textiles firm Johnston’s of Elgin, said he was “absolutely delighted” the tariffs have been suspended.
The company, which employs 850 people, has been taking a “25 per cent hit” on every knitwear product it exports to the US.
The news was hailed by
Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He said: “From Scotch whisky distillers to Stilton-makers, businesses across the UK will benefit from the US decision today to suspend tariffs in this dispute.
“It shows what the UK can do as an independent trading nation, striking deals that back our businesses and support free and fair trade. I now look forward to strengthening the UK-US relationship, as we drive economic growth and build back better together.”
On January 1, the UK dropped its own tariffs on some US goods, put in place over a related dispute about US subsidies to Boeing.
In a joint statement yesterday, the UK and the US said the suspension would “ease the burden on industry and take a bold, joint step towards resolving the longestrunning disputes at the World Trade Organization”.
The agreement is temporary and applies only to UK goods. US tariffs will continue to apply to EU products.