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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Drug experts attack SAD's crusade
Scotland On Sunday Sunday 13 Jul 1997 The government's own drug advisors have joined the growing chorus of criticism of Scotland Against Drugs. The all-party campaign, which has received UKP4m of public money, has been reprimanded for its "unhelpful" approach to combating drug abuse. This latest broadside against SAD has come from the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse, the team of experts which helps the Scottish Secretary draw up drugs policy. A majority of the group's members have written to Donald Dewar warning that: "It is our belief that Scotland Against Drugs has been, to say the least, unhelpful in assisting the development of an effective response to drug use in Scotland" - a damning verdict on an initiative planned as a country-wide anti-drugs "crusade". They have requested an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State to outline their "concerns&" about SAD's activities. The "private and onfidential" letter, which has been passed to Scotland On Sunday, has been signed by nine of SACDM's 16 members. They include health, education and social work experts, as well as drugs specialists including Edinburgh psychiatrist Dr Judy Greenwood. In addition, two of the nine are also members of the UK-wide Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse, which guides the UK government in London. One of them, Greater Glasgow Health Board's respected addoictions chief Dr Laurence Gruer, helped organise the letter. One signatory said: "The 'just say no' approach, which SAD promotes, was tried in Scotland from 1978-1985. We had an epidemic of drug use and the spread of HIV and hepatitis". Pragmatic risk reduction measures implemented first in Edinburgh and then Glasgow, such as needle exchanges and mwthadone prescription, had cut drug-related crime and reduced drug fatalities. SAD's "morally righteous, 'just say no', total abstentionist policy has already been tried. It failed", he said. The nine want to meet Dewar "to discuss how Scotland Against Drugs can be effectively harnessed to the overall response to drug use in Scotland". That is a veiled reference to the division which SAD has sparked among Scotland's drug fighters with its vitriolic attacks on groups practising "harm reduction", the liberal policy - endorsed by the Scottish Office - of supporting rather than condemning drug users. The letter claims SAD's recent Drugs Awareness Week proved counter- productive. It "should have been an opportunity to explain to the public how Scotland is responding to drug use and the effective collaboration which is taking place", say the nine. "Unfortunately the week has generated further confusion and acrimony, and left many workers in the field feeling unfairly criticised and undervalued". Last week we revealed that senior police officers, health experts and members of SAD's own advisory council had criticised the campaign during meetings with both Dewar and Scottish Office health minister Sam Galbraith. SAD has called an emergency meeting on July 28 to discuss damaging recent publicity. The Scottish Office yesterday said Dewar is deciding whether to meet the nine signatories, because not all members of SACDM backed the move. Four of the 16 experts refused to sign, and three were on holiday. SAD campaign director David Macauley - an ex-officio member of SACDM - said yesterday he was disappointed fellow members had not cantacted him personally before writing to the Secretary of State. The Scottish Office had also received letters praising SAD's work from other drug agencies and local authority representatives, Macauley added.
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