Wearable drugs tag 'could be used in the UK' says Tory minister

A label indicating whether people have used drugs could be used to fight crime in the future, a Tory minister said.

The device, similar to the ankle-attached sobriety label currently used to prevent alcohol-related crime, would use regular sweat tests to detect whether someone has used illegal drugs.

Home Secretary Kit Malthouse told MPs he recently met with the Korean authorities where the technology was being developed, adding that the government was interested in investing in the monitors.

While MPs debated the government's new 10-year drug strategy, the minister also heard calls to fight drug users from central London, what he called the “drug epicenter” in the UK.

The Conservative MP Dr. Caroline Johnson (Sleaford and North Hykeham) said, “Sobriety tags, portable devices that monitor alcohol use among offenders, were first tested in Lincolnshire and introduced due to their success in preventing 90% of people from consuming alcohol while wearing them .

"Can I ask the minister whether such an approach would make sense for drug addicts?"

Malthouse said: “You will be delighted to hear that this morning I met the Korean Ambassador and the Police Commissioner of this country, with whom we work a lot, not least with regard to international cash flows.

“But most of all, I've piqued my interest in a Korean research institute's research and invention: a drug label, a portable device that detects drug use in a person's sweat.

“We are very interested in this technology. We have a fund to invest in some of these technological developments because she's absolutely right, we've seen 97% compliance with sobriety bracelets, with ankle tags, and we think it plays a role in that and a drug review as."

Later in the debate, Conservative MP Nickie Aiken (Cities of London and Westminster) welcomed the "emphasis on the strategy of holding, hopefully, professional classes accountable for their actions".

She said, "They might want to buy their Fairtrade coffee and go to the farmers market and buy their organic groceries, but maybe they should spend more time thinking about the cocaine they buy for their weekend parties because it drives county boundaries . "

She urged the government to consider adding "drug barons" to the register of sex offenders and "ensuring that they are held accountable for their crimes against children".

Malthouse replied, “It unfortunately represents one of the country's drug epicentres in central London. She is absolutely right, much of this drug abuse, this violence, this humiliation is fueled by the occasional, thoughtless use by people who do not consider themselves addicts but are still involved in the violence. "

He added that a government white paper due out in the spring will set out "a structure of escalating coercive measures" for professional drug users, leading to "a drug operation outside Lancaster Gate or Bayswater or Belgravia underground stations instead of others" could be parts of the capital ”.

The minister also said the government should focus on keeping drug lords "behind bars for as long as possible".

Sobriety tags were introduced in England in March this year to prevent alcohol-related crimes such as domestic violence and attacks on strangers.

At the time of launch, the government said preliminary research from Wales showed previous drunk offenders stayed sober 95% of the time after being tagged.

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