Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to recognise World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day annually on 11 July.
The Government currently has no plans to officially recognise World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day. However, the Government is concerned about the impact of long term use of benzodiazepines by NHS patients and other dependence forming medicines prescribed in primary care.
The Parliamentary under Secretary of State (Steve Brine) has commissioned Public Health England to review the evidence for dependence on, and withdrawal from, prescribed medicines including benzodiazepines. The review was launched in January 2018 and is due to report in spring 2019.