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UK: Most illegal drug users cause no harm, MPs say
Richard Ford The Times
Wednesday 22 May 2002 FOUR million people use illegal drugs every year, but most cause no harm to themselves or to others, a Commons committee report says today. But it says that a hard core of 250,000 drug users are dependent on crack cocaine and/or heroin, live extremly chaotic lives and are often involved in crime. The 100-page report of an inquiry into the Government's drug policy by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee also says that the best efforts of police and customs officers have had little effect on the availability of illegal drugs. Their failure, the report adds, is sustaining a vast criminal industry, and the need for addicts to buy drugs is behind an estimated third of all property crimes. In the first major official parliamentary study of drugs in Britain the report says: Legalisation The committee rejects legalisation of drugs under which they would be controlled as tobacco and alcohol are and available on sale through retail outlets. Supporters of legalisation claim that it would cut the income made by the criminals who now supply the market. The committee says that there is force behind some of the arguments for legalisation, particularly the undermining of the criminal market. It says that although there may come a day when the balance moves in favour of legalisation and regulation it does not support this drastic step. Decriminalisation of Personal use It would remove the obligation to give criminal records to large numbers of young people arrested for cannabis use and would formalise the existing policing of those caught with the drug. But the committee rejects the move on the grounds that it would send the wrong message to young people and would lead to an increase in drug misuse. The committee also opposes ending prosecutions of people caught supplying drugs to friends, even though it admits that most users are introduced to drugs by friends rather than street dealers. It says that a new offence of supply for gain should be used to prosecute large-scale commercial suppliers as a means of overcoming difficulties in proving the present offence of intent to supply. Cannabis The committee supports the Governments plan to downgrade cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug. Possessing a small amount of cannabis will no longer be an arrestable offence. But the report says that smoking cannabis carries risks similar to those linked to smoking, including lung disease, chronic bronchitis, cancers and cardiovascular disease. Cannabis use should be discouraged. The report says that it can in some cases lead people to take other more dangerous drugs, but it says there is nothing to be gained by exaggerating its harmfulness. The report highlights the increasing problem of people driving while under the influence of drugs. The incidence of illegal drugs in victims of fatal road traffic accidents rose from 3 per cent in the late 1980s to 18 per cent in 2000. Over the same period the equivalent figure for alcohol has fallen from 35 to 31.5 per cent. The most commonly detected drug linked to road traffic accidents is cannabis, up from 2.6 to 11.9 per cent over the same period. Techniques for testing drivers for drug impairment must be improved. The committee supports the use of cannabis-based medicines if trials prove to be successful. Ecstasy MPs call for it to be downgraded from a Class A to a Class B drug on the ground that it is not as harmful as heroin or cocaine. The effect would be to reduce the penalty for possession from seven to five years and for supplying from life to 14 years. But MPs say there is much that is not known about long-term use of the drug and that nothing should be done to imply that it is harmless or socially desirable to use the drug. Ecstasy is a dangerous drug. Some young people will take Ecstasy and we want to reduce the number of deaths which result. It calls for advice on the dangers of the drugs to be available in night clubs. Cocaine The proportion of drug users admitting cocaine use has risen by 70 per cent since 1993 and cocaine-related deaths from 12 in 1993 to 87 in 1999. The report calls for a substantial increase in cocaine treatment places. Must remain a Class A drug. Crack cocaine Taking the drug causes a risk of damage to respiratory system, high blood pressure and a heart attack. Crack is also linked with unpredictable and violent behaviour. The committee calls for more treatment programmes for addicts and a renewed effort to curb the supply routes. Heroin The proportion of the population using heroin is small but the damage caused to individuals and communities is enormous, the report says. There are an estimated 200,000 heroin addicts compared with 1,000 30 years ago. The report says that heroin is highly addictive but adds that, used in a sanitary and controlled way, it does not cause health problems. Its illegality causes users to resort to crime and unsanitary using techniques, such as sharing needles, which cause serious health problems. The report calls for an increase in methadone treatment and mandatory treatment for jailed users. It criticises as ineffective the present licensing system under which doctors can prescribe heroin, and warns that plans to expand the number of doctors with licences will not be enough to deal with the scale of the problem. It recommends a pilot scheme of shooting galleries, premises where heroin users with illegal supplies go to inject and receive advice to reduce harm. A second pilot scheme would allow pure heroin to be legally given to users in an attempt to wean them off their addiction. It would be directed first at chronic addicts with a long criminal record. Drug education Material must not preach at young people but must be based on the premise that any drug use can be harmful and should be discouraged. It is critical of some drug education which, while providing accurate information for young people, also appears to encourage use of illegal drugs. Healthcare The British Medical Association is criticised for its minimal response to the committees request for evidence. It found that doctors are inadequately trained to deal with drug misuse and says that training in substance misuse should be a key part of medical undergraduate studies. The BMA and Royal College of General Practitioners should take a greater interest in drug misuse. Commons report: the key points - Downgrade Ecstasy from Class A to Class B drug - Do not legalise drugs - Do not decriminalise drugs for personal use - Introduce offence of supplying drugs for gain - Support Government's plan to downgrade cannabis from Class B to Class C drug - Introduce pilot project of safe injecting centres for heroin users - Introduce pilot project of prescribing heroin to addicts - Make clear through education that any drug is harmful - Increase treatment for cocaine users - Make drug misuse to be key part of doctors' training - Government to initiate discussion about international legalisation or global regulation of drugs
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