SUPPLY OF HARM REDUCTION PRODUCTS TO DRUG USERS

That this House notes that section 9A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was intended to prevent the commercial sale of kits and equipment for the preparation and consumption of illicit drugs; further notes that there have only ever been a handful of prosecutions for the commercial sale of drug kits and paraphernalia since 1986 due to the ambiguous nature of section 9A, leading many police forces to abandon enforcement; further notes that on each of the two occasions that the Act has been amended since the insertion of section 9A in 1986 to incorporate newly-developed harm reduction interventions, each amendment has involved a lengthy process of campaigning and legislative change; is concerned that section 9A currently prevents legitimate harm reduction services from providing a number of otherwise innocuous products to their drug-using clients because these items are not explicitly permitted in the legislation; and therefore calls on the Government to consider either a general exemption for all harm reduction products supplied by drug treatment providers and healthcare professionals, or the repeal of section 9A.