This week the government announced a 10 year plan to tackle drug possession and use.

The plan includes harsher punishments to deter drug use and increasing funding in the drug treatment system.

Under this plan, casual drug users could potentially face punishments such as having their passports or driving licence taken away.

Promises of funding are also included, £300 million would be used for combating county lines gangs.

There would also be significant funds passed onto local authorities for treatment and recovery services, with the 50 councils most in need receiving the funds first.

Increased funding for drug treatment and recovery is welcomed, but this new funding does not make up for the deep cuts to drugs and alcohol services seen over the last decade.

Public health grant allocations in England have been cut by 24 per cent in real terms per capita between 2015–16 and 2021–22.

The lack of treatment and services has led to record high drug-related deaths. In 2020, 4,561 people died from drug poisoning. This is 3.8 per cent higher than figures for 2019 and the highest number since records began in 1993.

In Portugal, personal possession of drugs has been decriminalised since 2001, as part of a health-led approach.

Possessing drugs for personal use is treated as an administrative offence, meaning it is no longer punishable by imprisonment and does not result in a criminal record.

Drugs are still confiscated and possession may result in penalties such as fines or community service.

The penalty which is applied is decided by a panel of legal, health and social work professionals. For those caught in possession of drugs for the first time the decision is usually to take no further action. Fines can be subsequently issued.

Where more problematic behaviours or dependence is found, individuals may receive non-mandatory referrals to specialist treatment services. In the vast majority of cases, drug use is not identified as problematic.

The results of this drug policy in Portugal have been positive. Drug-related deaths have remained below the EU average since introduction in 2001. Rates of drug use have also remained consistently lower than the EU average.

Portugal has gone from accounting for over 50 per cent of yearly HIV diagnoses linked to injecting drug use in the EU to 1.7 per cent.

They have set a positive example for what can be done when drug policies prioritise health rather than criminalisation.

While the funding for local authorities to rebuild treatment and recovery services should be welcomed, the plan seems to be built on harsher punishments for drug users.

In 2016, the UK government was recommended by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs explicitly to decriminalise drug possession and use.

However, they ignored this potentially life saving advice.

Instead deciding to continue with regressive drug policies and severe funding cuts to addiction treatment.

We should seriously look at the radical policy used by Portugal, its focus on helping people not criminalising them, has saved lives.