Nine MPs from across the political spectrum have signed a parliamentary motion demanding the government scrap the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, warning that billions of pounds are being wasted and thousands of lives lost under the current system.
The Early Day Motion, tabled on 2nd June, marks 55 years since the Act received Royal Assent and argues it has “failed to reduce drug consumption” whilst drug deaths have reached record levels.
Labour MP Grahame Morris, who sponsored the motion, was joined by colleagues from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and independent MPs in backing the call for evidence-based reform. The motion declares the Act “clearly not fit for purpose” and says it has “increased harm, damaged public health and exacerbated social inequalities”.
An Early Day Motion (EDM) is a formal, written motion submitted by a Member of Parliament that raises an opinion, publicises a cause, or highlights a specific campaign. While only a few go on to be debated, previous successful EDMs have included calls for the release of Nelson Mandela and for a bill to tackle climate change.
The signatories include former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, now sitting as an independent MP for Islington North, along with Labour MPs Rachael Maskell (York Central), John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) and Charlotte Nichols (Warrington North). Liberal Democrat MPs Andrew George (St Ives) and Wera Hobhouse (Bath) have also added their names, alongside Green Party MPs Hannah Spencer (Gorton and Denton) and Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion).
The motion calls for the government to “repeal and replace the Act as a matter of urgency with legislation that will ensure future drug policy protects human rights, promotes public health and ensures social justice”.
It argues for “an evidence-based approach that provides pathways for people with drug difficulties into treatment, rather than the criminal justice system”, and warns that “every year it remains in force, billions of pounds will be wasted, thousands of lives lost and countless people needlessly criminalised”.
A 2025 report released by Transform Drug Policy Foundation found that legalising and regulating cannabis alone in the UK could generate up to £1.5 billion in annual net benefits to the Treasury.
“The Act is clearly not fit for purpose,” said Michael Wakelyn-Green from the Green Party Drug Policy working group. “It actively hurts our communities, jeopardising the health and wellbeing of future generations, whilst fuelling increasingly resourceful and violent organised crime.”
The EDM comes as drug-related deaths in England and Wales reached a record high of 5,565 deaths in 2024, the last year of records. The number of fatalities marks a 2.1% rise and the fourteenth consecutive annual increase. This surge was largely driven by a four-fold increase in deaths involving deadly synthetic opioids.
“The trends are indisputable, the damage is compounding, and a pragmatic, evidence-based solution is a necessity, now more than ever,” Wakelyn-Green added. “The Green Party drug policy unequivocally supports legally regulating all drugs, and championing a public health approach to tackle and rectify the over half-century of damage of the Misuse of Drugs Act.”
