A new report finds that 'disproportionally harsh laws and policies' surrounding drug offences are preventing families from living together

Drugs offences that are either decades old or so minor they have incurred little to no prison time are responsible for tearing thousands of US families apart through detention and deportation, according to a report released today.

The report, from the international non-governmental organisation, Human Rights Watch, found that “disproportionally harsh laws and policies” surrounding drug offences can result in deportation for unauthorized immigrants as well as lawful and permanent US residents.

The findings, which use new data obtained from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), found that deportations after convictions for drugs possession increased dramatically between 2007 and 2012, rising by 43 per cent.

During this period, deportation after drug convictions for sales, smuggling, manufacture, or trafficking also increased by 23 per cent.

For over 34,000 of the deported...