Illicit drug use in universities: zero tolerance or harm reduction?

In this HEPI Debate Paper, Arda Ozcubukcu and Professor Graham Towl explore how higher education institutions might approach illicit drug use within their student populations, suggesting that a zero-tolerance approach may cause more harm than it prevents as those who need help do not come forward for fear of punishment. The report instead proposes a more tolerant and outcomes-based approach to illicit drug taking on campus, prioritising the prevention of drug harms and shifting the focus from criminal justice to health and wellbeing.