Tuesday 3 February 2009

Doing drugs

Didn't get time to blog on Sunday about my Politics Show appearance - basically about whether we should go down the Swiss route of having 'drugs consumption rooms' and prescribing heroin rather than methadone to addicts.
Advantages: gets addicts into contact with agencies, thus making them more likely to seek treatment; keep addicts and drugs litter off the streets; less risk of overdosing, using dodgy needles, etc; treats drug addiction as an illness rather than a crime; prescribing heroin reduces crime.
Disadvantages: should we be spending tax payers money on this; would it send out wrong signals re acceptability of drug use; is it the most effective use of resources? [And probably lots more, if you're of the Daily Telegraph mindset]. Anyway, here it is, if you want to watch it. The report from Switzerland with Maggie Telfer of Bristol Drugs Project is interesting.

3 comments:

Old Holborn said...

If people want to take drugs, they will.

Think of all the gangs gone, think of all the killings stopped, think of all the burglary, muggings and thefts averted.

But most of all, think of all the MONEY pouring into Gordons coffers.

OH Tip:

If you want to find out the answer to any problem, go and see what the Swiss do before you set up a think tank/focus group/fabian workshop

99 out of 100 they already have it sorted.

Kerry said...

This isn't about legalisation. It would be free, on prescription.

DaveA said...

Hi Kerry I hope you are well. I've put the Carry On DVDs down and as your token Tory on the blog would not object to taxpayers money being spent "shoot up" rooms. I think it is best that methodone is injected in a safe clean environment. I think crime would go down too.

Millions gets wasted on smoking cessation and could easily be diverted from that white elephant.

Also could we at the same time re-introduce "shooting galleries" for nicotine addicts, they used to be called pubs, before they all shut?