[420 Girl]

UK - Internal correspondence between Home Office officials revealed they blocked the release of documents apparently contradicting public policy.

They advised top ministers and senior civil servants that a controversial review could embarrass the Government and hand valuable ammunition to critics.

But officials shot themselves in the foot by inadvertently releasing their behind-the-scenes discussions when the document was finally released after two years.

The blunders related to a request by campaign group Transform under the Freedom of Information Act for a 2007 paper entitled Drugs Value for Money Review.

The review found there was a lack of evidence supporting the success of work to combat drug abuse, particularly whether it saved the public money.

Danny Kushlick, of Transform, which wants drugs to be legalised under a system of regulation, accused the Government of misleading the public.

He said: "It is patently obvious that senior civil servants and ministers are complicit, at the least, in the unwarranted withholding of information that contradicts their unevidenced claims of success for the war on drugs. "

The Government originally withheld the report in 2008 because it would hinder the "formulation of Government policy" and in 2009 because it would be "prejudicial to the effective conduct of public affairs".

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We take our obligations under the Freedom of Information Act very seriously. In this case, the report was originally exempted because it would have been likely to prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs."


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