Letter to the Home Secretary: a whole-system response to drug prevention in the UK (accessible)
Updated 28 May 2025
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ACMD Chair: Professor Owen Bowden-Jones
ACMD Prevention Secretary: Kortu Stevens
1st Floor (NE), Peel Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
ACMD@homeoffice.gov.uk
Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Home Secretary
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
28th May 2025
Dear Home Secretary,
RE: Whole system response prevention of drug use in young people
I am pleased to enclose the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs’ (ACMD) report on a whole-system response to drug prevention in children and young people. The ACMD was commissioned in 2023 by the previous government to provide advice on which measures to implement to prevent and reduce drug use and harm among 11– 24-year-olds over the 10-year scope of the Drugs Strategy. The commission requested advice on the most effective prevention interventions, removal of significant barriers, and scalability. The ACMD has since established a dedicated Standing Committee on Drug Prevention. After extensive research and evidence gathering on current prevention activities from several Government departments, agencies, and charitable bodies, the ACMD has now drawn conclusions in its report on drug prevention and set out a series of associated recommendations. The report recommends that the UK Government fund and implement a comprehensive, evidence-based national drug prevention programme.
The summarised recommendations are organised into two main areas:
- A whole-system approach to drug prevention
- Specific prevention interventions targeting at-risk populations
Together, these recommendations aim to reduce drug use and related harms, while also improving health, wellbeing, and life opportunities for young people aged 11 – 24.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss this report in due course.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Owen Bowden-Jones
Chair of the ACMD Prevention Committee
Chair of the ACMD
Professor Harry Sumnall
ACMD member, Prevention Committee