Pubdate: Mon,  4 Feb 2002
Source: Independent  (UK)
Copyright: 2002 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.independent.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/209
Author: Jason Bennett
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?131 (Heroin Maintenance)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)

GIVE ADDICTS FREE HEROIN, SAYS CHIEF CONSTABLE

A chief constable has called for heroin to be prescribed free to Britain's 
300,000 addicts.

Richard Brunstrom, the head of North Wales Police, wants heroin possession 
to be decriminalised and people caught with small quantities of the drug to 
be treated. His comments are the latest proposal by a senior police officer 
for a more liberal approach to drug use.

Mr Brunstrom said pure heroin should be provided on prescription for 
addicts, because that would remove the need for users to commit crime to 
pay for their habit. He told Police Review magazine: "Heroin does not make 
you commit crime; it gets you addicted. If you could get free heroin you 
wouldn't commit crime.

"We know that a third of all crime is committed by people to get money to 
support their drug habit.

"In theory, at least, if we gave away heroin to those people who needed it, 
they should not need to commit crime and crime should go down. Why are we 
allowing these people to become criminals?

"Research has found that a serious heroin user needs AUKP100 a day to 
finance the habit and as much as 70 per cent of property crime might be 
committed to fund addiction.

Mr Brunstrom, who is to make a written submission to the Home Affairs 
Select Committee, which is examining the issue of drugs, is expected to say 
that the policy based on a war on drugs is "an almost unqualified disaster" 
and that there is now a need for a Royal Commission into the problem.

Other senior officers are known to agree with Mr Brunstrom's proposals, 
including Sir David Phillips, the Kent Chief Constable, who is the 
president of the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Police chiefs are reviewing the association's drug policy and are expected 
to recommend a radical shift in thinking on how to deal with addicts. This 
could include greater prescribing of heroin and the establishment of 
so-called shooting galleries and areas where addicts can get clean needles 
and medical care.

At present only a few hundred people are prescribed heroin in Britain. The 
Home Office has licensed about 100 doctors who can prescribe heroin. Most 
of the addicts have special medical needs and are prescribed methadone, a 
heroin substitute, which they must take at chemist's shops or GP's surgeries.

Prescribing pure heroin would also help to prevent the dozens of overdoses 
and deaths caused every year by addicts taking contaminated or unexpectedly 
strong drugs.

Mr Brunstrom is highly critical of the Government's drugs policy. He said: 
"I disagree with the war on drugs policy, but the parts about harm 
reduction and health improvements in the Government's strategy is quite 
sound stuff. It's not resourced properly and has not been pursued 
enthusiastically enough but much of the thinking is there already.

"He believes Britain should adopt the system used in Portugal, where drugs 
remain illegal but anyone caught in possession of a small amount of drugs 
is put on a course of treatment overseen by a lawyer, a doctor and a social 
worker. He said: "I will be astounded if our Government is still pursing 
its war on drugs in 10 years' time because I think the Portuguese approach 
is going to sweep the world.

"The police service is increasingly in the forefront of radical approaches 
to drug use. Police in the south London borough of Lambeth, which includes 
Brixton, are operating a scheme under which anyone caught with a small 
amount of cannabis escapes with a warning. More than 400 people have been 
issued with warnings since the scheme began in July.

Commander Brian Paddick, who runs the scheme, argues that it allows his 
officers to concentrate on heroin and crack cocaine dealers.

But many people, including some police officers, are fiercely opposed to 
the relaxation of laws towards cannabis, and particularly any class A drug 
such as ecstasy or heroin, because they believe such moves encourage 
greater abuse and lead to addiction.

While the Home Office publicly says it has no intention of relaxing the 
laws on heroin, it is keeping under review the proposal for heroin 
"shooting galleries". Also from the Health section.
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MAP posted-by: Beth