Sadiq Khan must follow through with his drug commission’s recommendations

4 min read30 May

The transformational recommendations in the London Drugs Commission can be enacted without a change of law. Mayor Khan should seize this huge opportunity.

This week, the long-awaited report from the London Drugs Commission was published. Established by Sadiq Khan in 2022 and chaired by former justice secretary Lord Falconer KC, the commission was asked to consider “the impact of cannabis laws on crime, particularly violent crime, public health and economic outcomes".

The result is a dense report containing 42 recommendations, with top lines including a shift away from criminalising possession of cannabis through diversion from prosecution, the opening of a drug checking centre, and enhanced drug education for young people.

While the Commission stopped short of calling for legalisation, this is a landmark report which edges London closer towards evidence-based drug policies which could also help Labour’s mission-based agenda – here’s why.

While headlines have focused on decriminalisation, no legislative change is required to enact the approach highlighted in the report. Diversion schemes are programmes that push people away from criminalisation and towards education or drug treatment. They exist in Durham, as close to London as the Thames Valley, and in the West Midlands, where my charity, Cranstoun, provides criminal justice and drug services, and delivers the DIVERT programme in partnership with three of the local Police and Crime Commissioners.

When found with drugs, the person is given an on-the-street referral to us, rather than taken into custody. We follow up with an assessment and deliver educational classes depending on their needs. Our data shows that approximately 9 out of 10 referrals are for cannabis, of which we receive around 400 per month in just the West Midlands Police area, the largest police force outside of London. Conservative estimates indicate that each referral saves over 4 hours of police time. With that in mind, there is an enormous opportunity for Sir Khan – and the government – to deliver on their crime promises.

With a challenging economic outlook and the government pledging to make our streets safer – and cut violence against women in girls by half in a decade – this report offers a real opportunity to save police time and prioritise these crimes, at a low financial cost that wouldn’t raise eyebrows at the Treasury.

In addition to saving police time, diversion schemes are proven to cut re-offending too. Our scheme has a re-presentation rate of just 4.8 per cent, whilst the proven re-offending rate for drug offences in adults is around 25 per cent.

Prioritising police time with simple possession offences is unpopular with the public, too. A poll conducted this week by YouGov showed that a strong majority back this approach, with over 54 per cent supporting moves away from criminalisation, while only 34 per cent of people were opposed.

The report also highlighted the racial injustice in the current approach, with black people in London more than 3 times more likely to be stopped and searched for drugs than white people. This can sow division between police and communities who understandably feel over-policed. As the Commission’s report highlights, diversionary approaches can take the ‘conflict’ out of stop and searches at a time which is crucial at a time when only 34 per cent of Londoners trust the Met police.

The results on improved outcomes for this cohort are positive, according to data from our work in the West Midlands. Our work saw a reduction from 40.5 per cent of Afro-Caribbean people charged for possession offences before DIVERT was introduced, compared to just 11.4 per cent in the years that followed. Offering education and different interventions has not only allowed the police force to save time, it has also allowed them to break down barriers with communities.

Lord Falconer’s report should also be the beginning of a grown-up conversation about how we respond to the impact of drugs in communities that is far too often missing from the public discourse. What should now follow is to implement many of the quick wins among the recommendations, including diversion, which will give the opportunity for Mayor Khan to champion and lead the way in transforming London and national drug policy.

Meg Jones is Director of Services at Cranstoun.