asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recent increase in the illegal possession of drugs.
Great care is needed in interpreting relevant information, but the evidence of seizures over the past two years and of more reported addiction, and the views that are reported to me of those working in the field, support the inference that more people are getting involved in drug abuse. The police and Customs have my full support in acting with the utmost vigilance and determination against those who organise, finance and distribute illicit supplies. We also owe a debt of gratitude to the many who give their time and effort, often unpaid, to dealing with the human misery that abuse of drugs such as heroin can bring to victims and their families and friends.