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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Hospitals in battle to halt invasion of drug dealers
Jo Revill The Observer
Sunday 26 Oct 2003 Sniffer dogs are being used on psychiatric wards across England to root out drug-dealing, which is becoming rife among patients. In a sign of a new 'zero-tolerance' attitude emerging in the NHS, local mental health managers have started to call in police with dogs to combat the problem. It is believed that around half the mental health trusts in the country have to contend with local drugs dealers who operate in and around hospitals. In the past decade, the amount of illegal substances, particularly cannabis, available on psychiatric wards has rocketed. Sometimes the drugs are sold in hospital grounds, but researchers have found they are also sold on wards as it is hard for staff to prevent patients or friends coming in and out. It is also impossible for them to search people they suspect may be carrying illegal drugs. Some staff worry that they are breaching patient confidentiality if they call police to tackle the problem. Cannabis is used by many schizophrenics as a relaxant, but it can trigger hallucinations and paranoia, making their experiences far more frightening. Psychiatrists also find it much harder to treat successfully patients who are psychotic or schizophrenic if they are regularly smoking joints. Sniffer dogs are the latest weapon used on some psychiatric wards at Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester, where managers worked with the local police drug team. 'The presence of sniffer dogs was a signal to people that, if they used drugs, there was a strong likelihood they would get caught,' said Noel Tracey, one of the trust's managers. 'There have been no charges for 12 months and we haven't found drugs in the last three random searches.' Staff who work on the wards feel more supported by the introduction of dog patrols, according to the South Essex Partnership Trust. 'These are nice, cuddly dogs, a springer spaniel and a golden retriever. When they finish their sniffing work the patients get a chance to pet them,' said assistant director Neil West. But Marjorie Wallace, director of campaigning charity Sane, believes a laissez-faire culture, which has put patients' rights above the need to keep wards safe, has led to the problems. 'There is barely a unit I have visited where drug-dealing isn't rife. It hardly existed 10 years ago, but now the problem is distorting all services. Cannabis worsens the acute symptoms of mental illness, and makes the wards much more intimidating. For too long, this problem has been swept under the carpet.' She believes that for cultural reasons staff often turn a blind eye. Some see it as a patient's right to relax or enjoy themselves. Another problem is that many of the dealers have been patients themselves and some are psychotic and need help, so cannot be turned away from care. The violence and verbal abuse on wards, exacerbated by drugs, makes it difficult for psychiatrists to admit other patients, for example women with serious depression. The Department of Health is preparing to issue new guidelines soon to doctors and staff on dealing with drug misuse. This will include giving nurses and doctors training on how to tackle a patient with drugs on them. Other measures taken by hospitals include the planting of prickly bushes underneath the hospital windows, so that dealers cannot hand over their drugs from the outside. On Wednesday, the Commons will be asked to approve government plans to reclassify cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug, so police will no longer arrest people who have it in their personal possession. Some campaigners say this will lead to a rising number of young people with mental problems caused by the drug.
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