A second Brighton MP has called for the introduction of drug consumption rooms saying that the war on drugs had failed.
Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who became the Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown at the general election last June, has taken a similar line on drugs to the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, Caroline Lucas.
Mr Russell-Moyle spoke in a House of Commons debate in Westminster Hall on Wednesday (17 January).
He said: “One of the clearest failings in public policy has been the war on drugs.
“Treating addicts as criminals has clearly failed. It does not work. It led to 3,744 deaths last year alone.
“If honourable members think more enforcement will work, I am afraid they are sadly deceived.
“The evidence from around the world shows time and time again that DCRs (drug consumption rooms) are a way to help people stop taking drugs. They are places where people can engage safely.
“Let us take Sydney as an example. In 1999, the King’s Cross area of Sydney was known particularly for its large number of overdoses and deaths.
“In the British national picture, I see similar patterns in parts of Brighton and Hove.
“I remember visiting Sydney at that time, and it was a problem. Drug consumption rooms were trialled, and after 10 years KPMG commissioned an independent report, which found that in those 10 years there was not one single fatality among any of the users who had attended the rooms.
“Let me repeat that, because some honourable members do not seem to get the difference.
“In Sydney, where there were 4,400 drug users, not one single person died, whereas 3,744 died in Britain last year.
“I know which system I would prefer: the one that led to no deaths on my hands.
“People who advocate for a cracking down are advocating for the deaths of sons, daughters, friends and family members. That is the cruel reality of the current policy.
“The KPMG study found that there were no drug deaths among the people who had used and engaged with the rooms, of whom there were 4,400 over that time.
“During that period, there was an 80 per cent reduction in the number of ambulance call-outs relating to drug issues in Sydney and a reduction in the average number of overdoses in public locations by more than three quarters.
Perhaps the key point was “The three-hour debate has no formal purpose other than to raise the issue with a government minister who responds”.
As a result both Lloyd’s and Caroline’s views were rejected by the minister “To be very clear from the start, the government do not agree with the honourable gentleman’s suggestion. We have no intention of introducing drug consumption rooms”.
Perhaps Lloyd can get a change in the law if/when Jeremy gets into power, but until then such debates give Lloyd and Caroline something to do whilst they have no real role.
Do we know if Momentum agrees with lloyd?