|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
Westminster Diary - Comment From Tam Dalyell
New Scientist
Saturday 04 Nov 2000 Website: http://www.newscientist.com/ Author: Tam Dalyell WESTMINSTER DIARY - COMMENT FROM TAM DALYELL PHILIP COHEN'S article on "antibody therapies" to treat drug addiction, or "vice vaccines" as they are sometimes called (10 June, p 22), interested me greatly. In a nutshell, the idea is that it should be possible to vaccinate people against addictive chemicals. I asked Mo Mowlam what the government's attitude is to such a strategy. As minister for the Cabinet Office she has special responsibility for Britain's anti-drugs policy. Mowlam replied that at the moment antibody therapies are only a fascinating area of pure research and much needs to be done before we know their effectiveness. In particular, there are clinical questions to consider. For example, what effect would opiate antibody therapy have on legitimate painkiller drugs? All this is work for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to consider, she said. The minister agreed that prevention is often better than cure. Accordingly, one of the key aims of the government's anti-drugs policy is to help young people to resist drug misuse in the first place. The education service has a responsibility to ensure that youngsters understand the risks of taking drugs, and that they have the knowledge and skills to resist them. Drug education is a statutory part of Britain's National Curriculum, and must also cover alcohol and tobacco use. In addition, said the minister, the government supports a programme to encourage doctors and other healthcare professionals to help teachers communicate the dangers of substance abuse to young people. Public opinion demands that every possible avenue be explored in tackling this very worrying problem. WITH many of my fellow MPs admitting their student-day experiences with narcotic drugs, 1 feel 1 must relate my own recent brush with one. Betty Boothroyd, as Speaker of the House of Commons, had chosen me to lead a five-day parliamentary delegation to Bolivia. Unfortunately, 1 suffered grievously from altitude sickness the night after we touched down at La Paz airport, some 4000 metres up in the Andes. At 2 am 1 began to feel like death warmed up, so much so that 1 scribbled a note to my MP colleagues telling them what to say to my wife and what to do with my body-give it to a Bolivian university medical school, 1 wrote, rather than the British university for which it is currently earmarked. Then, hardly able to breathe, and desperately wanting to be sick but not able to, 1 staggered down to the hotel lobby. 1 thrust the International PhoneMedical Assistance Card that the Inter-Parliamentary Union had given me as group leader into the hands of the elderly receptionist. He inspected it, smiled and then pretended to phone the International Medical Advice Centre. In fact, he sensibly phoned a local doctor, who asked to speak to me. The doctor reassured me that I was not about to expire. "if you still need me in an hour's time, I will be round," he added. "But first drink a teapotful of coca-leaf tea that the hotel will give you, and take two aspirins." Obediently, I agreed. The receptionist quickly produced the tea, and said solemnly, "If it was good enough for the Great Inca when he came to the High Andes, it is good enough for you.' It was. I was able to cope with the heavy programme that faced us, including the drug museum in the Chapare, the main drug-producing area. Whatever awful extracts are made from the coca plant, I have to say, "Thank you medicinal coca leaf.'
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!