| Topic: | Re:Re:Time for a re-think on drugs law ? | |
| Posted by: | Alastair Banton | |
| Date/Time: | 01/10/13 10:07:00 |
| Tom,you are misrepresenting the arguments of those in favour of reform of the drugs laws. The issue is, how do we deal with addiction? If someone is addicted to heroin or other hard drug, they should have access to treatment through the NHS. That treatment might include, for a time, the provision of a maintenance dose of the purest, safest quantities of the drug in question. Nobody is suggesting doling out unlimited quantities. The alternative is what happens at the moment which is that the unfortunate addict is left to the mercy of drug gangs and the police. I wonder if you know what proportion of burglaries are committed to finance drug habits? If a loved one of mine was a drug addict, I know which option I would prefer to happen. I would be more than happy if GP surgeries or specialised addiction treatment clinics were set up to provide real help. Around fifty years ago, doctors were able to prescribe heroin and there was a small number of registered addicts, causing little or no harm. Indeed, a doctor colleague of my father was one such and he carried on doing a good job. But then the idiotic war on drugs was launched and heroin addiction mushroomed, as did the gangs feeding the demand. Just like prohibition in the US helped the growth of the Mafia. It’s a very bad outcome As to fears of ‘tacitly encouraging people to take hard drugs’, this is nonsense. In several places in the world initiatives have been launched to provide addicts with needles etc and the results have been wholly good. Addiction rates have fallen as has drug-related crime. In any case, our high streets are already dense with outlets providing unlimited supplies of highly dangerous and addictive drugs - alcohol, cigarettes and sugar. We live with it. I'm assuming you wouldn't ban these. |