Cumbria health chief says ‘make heroin legal’
Last updated at 18:23, Tuesday, 09 June 2009
Hard drugs such as heroin should be made legally available and sold to users “over the counter” at pharmacies, says a Cumbrian health chief.
Professor John Ashton, the county’s outspoken director of public health, voiced the idea as he told professionals working in the field: “The war on drugs has failed. We need to think differently.”
Addressing dozens of delegates attending the ‘Tackling Drugs, Changing Lives’ conference at Carlisle racecourse yesterday, he likened the current UK drugs situation to that in the United States during Prohibition when alcohol was banned. Despite their illegal status, class A drugs are freely available everywhere, he said.
Professor Ashton called for a fundamental change in how society tackles illicit drugs, suggesting that it should be an offence to promote their use rather than use them.
He said: “What we have done by having illegal drugs is what America did by creating illegal alcohol in the 1930s, when there was Al Capone, and mayhem, and a huge industry around it.
“Alcohol and tobacco are marketed in a very flamboyant way with pop stars and sportsmen in the tabloids and on television.
“That’s what I would restrict: promoting the use of these drugs, whether alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, should be a serious offence.”
Professor Ashton backed “controlled availability” for Class A and other illegal drugs for personal use by adults.
He said: “If you were buying them from a pharmacy they’d know who you are. It would involve adults signing for drugs so there would be no possibility of creating another black market. I’m sure it will come.
“We’re so focused on criminal issues that we can’t address prevention. We put vast resources into prisons and keeping people in prisons, where people start taking drugs.
“We have now got a vast illegal industry with some very rich drug barons and neighbourhoods ripped apart by drug-related violence. Controlled availability would take away the trade’s oxygen, its market.”
Professionals in the field of drug and alcohol abuse – the latter producing a far more devastating effect on society – should refocus on reducing demand.
More effort should be poured into helping children discover their own talents, and passions and a life path. The professor cited the work of John McKnight, who supports agencies mobilising communities to use their talents to help themselves.
Another speaker was Superintendent Paul Carter, of Cumbria Police. He disagreed with Professor Ashton, saying: “Class A drugs destroy the fabric of people’s lives and family lives. We have to do everything we can to get people away from drugs like heroin and cocaine.”
The conference included organisations including Addiction Dependency Solutions, Cumbria Police, Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service, and Cumbria Drug and Alcohol Action Team, which organised the event. The conference marked the start of National Tackling Drugs Week.
PColeman@cngroup.co.uk
First published at 11:24, Tuesday, 09 June 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
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Well done Prof Ashton pre 1971 we had very few deaths from heroin as users knew dose and purity and only around 2000 addicts, crime associated with heroin use was almost non existant.
Fast forward 40 years we have almost 250,000 heroin users many commiting crimes to fund their habit with almost 60% of crime now being associated with its illegality.
Pure heroin is a totally differant substance than street heroin.Pure heroin unlike alcohol and tobacco is metabolised by the body without damaging any organ. Sure it is highly addictive and there is danger of overdose but as has been shown in Portugal and Switzerland providing clean pure heroin to users reduces crime and facilitates rehabilitation.
We need to stop wasting money subsidising the distribution and control of drugs by organised crime. Only when we finally realise that as Milton Friedman said Prohbition cause more damage to all levels of society in far greater proportion than the drugs themselves will be stop this madness
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Well done Prof Ashton pre 1971 we had very few deaths from heroin as users knew dose and purity and only around 2000 addicts, crime associated with heroin use was almost non existant.
Fast forward 40 years we have almost 250,000 heroin users many commiting crimes to fund their habit with almost 60% of crime now being associated with its illegality.
Pure heroin is a totally differant substance than street heroin.Pure heroin unlike alcohol and tobacco is metabolised by the body without damaging any organ. Sure it is highly addictive and there is danger of overdose but as has been shown in Portugal and Switzerland providing clean pure heroin to users reduces crime and facilitates rehabilitation.
We need to stop wasting money subsidising the distribution and control of drugs by organised crime. Only when we finally realise that as Milton Friedman said Prohbition cause more damage to all levels of society in far greater proportion than the drugs themselves will be stop this madness
Posted by John Leeson on 15 June 2009 at 12:15