ON MY MIND
DOWN at the Barking Dog, where on a Friday night there were more spikes in drinks than a cactus and more dealers than the local car sales, Ivor Spliff was holding forth on the question of drugs. Having recently spent an afternoon in Amsterdam in one of those coffee shops where tobacco and alcohol are banned as dangerous drugs, his argument was that the Government’s new war on drugs was like a bong in a cream tea. Useless.
A diversionary tactic away from the chaos of dysfunctional government, this new crack down will do little to engage with the real issues. Having spent many years in substance misuse education I learned three main things: the language used around the term ‘drugs’ is sloppy and confusing; the area is rife with hypocrisy; few people had the courage to be realistic since it was likely to damage their careers or lose them votes.
The starting point is to recognise that most of us, if not all, are drug users – over the counter and prescription medicines, caffeinated drinks, alcohol, tobacco and so on to the usual list of ‘illegal drugs’. Next admission is that alcohol and tobacco are the most dangerous drugs in society in terms of accidents, ill-health, deaths and social mayhem. Yet the UK’S irrational illegality arises from a national mind set which regards recreational users and those with drug related problems as candidates for banging up in jail as opposed to people who need help and healing. Also dealers and suppliers are delighted with this approach since it opens up further a deregulated billion pound market.
Some police commissioners, chief officers and health professionals have long recognised the failure of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act and the more serious criminal activity around the present world of drugs. They have argued for sensible conversations about decriminalisation and legalisation which have taken place in many countries. The government’s mumbling about treatment and rehabilitation is welcome but there is still no move to recognise the ‘no-brainer’ - that substance misuse is primarily about public health and not criminal justice.