Ahead of a major UN meeting about illegal narcotics, an expert in the field asks why drug-related deaths are up by 30 per cent in England but down by 20 per cent in Wales

In little more than a fortnight’s time, experts will gather at the United Nations headquarters in New York to discuss the blight of illegal drugs. Called by the presidents of Guatemala, Mexico and Columbia, who have seen the damage done to their nations and particularly their young people, the meeting will be a moment to take stock of the responses worldwide to the impact of the use of opiates and other narcotics.

So important is this meeting – a special session of the UN General Assembly on the world drug problem, known as UNGASS 2016, and to be held on 19-21 April – that some experts say it is the most important gathering on drug strategy for decades. It could even see a switch in the approach to the problem globally, following the path of  countries such as Portugal, which have pioneered medical intervention rather than imprisonment as a solution to hard drug use.