A former policing minister has criticised the Government for not funding a drug treatment he says could save lives.
Kit Malthouse, MP for North West Hampshire, is calling for the rollout of long-acting injectable buprenorphine (LAIB).
He said the treatment could reduce drug deaths and addiction-related crime, and has specifically highlighted its potential impact in Hampshire, where more than 1,700 people are currently in opiate treatment.
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Mr Malthouse said: "The Government’s response sums up their approach to drugs policy: warm words, endless analysis and lives lost while they pass the buck.
"They admit this treatment works, yet they still refuse to properly fund it.
"It keeps people in treatment, cuts relapse and reduces violent reoffending that blight our communities.
"Other parts of the UK are rolling it out at scale, while England hides behind 'limited evidence' and pushes responsibility onto cash-strapped councils."
The Government has responded by stating that drug treatment commissioning is the responsibility of local authorities and that further analysis is underway.
Mr Malthouse insists a national rollout would save both lives and public money.
He said: "This is not complicated - for a fraction of the cost of repeated arrests, prison places and emergency care, we could significantly cut drug deaths and crime."
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