Coalition won't decriminalise drug abuse

Liberal Democrat peers' leader Lord McNally said: "Our approach will not abandon punishment or the criminal justice system, but it will afford priority to treatment and rehabilitation."

He said this would "offer better prospects for the individuals concerned, for communities and for society as a whole".

The minister, whose party has in the past been criticised as being soft on drugs, told peers in the House of Lords: "We have to carry public opinion with us, including opinion at the other end of this building (the Commons]. And we must not lose sight of the impact this offending has on victims and communities."