Pubdate: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 Source: Scotsman (UK) Copyright: 2007 The Scotsman Publications Ltd Contact: http://members.scotsman.com/contact.cfm Website: http://www.scotsman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/406 DRUGS ARE EVERYONE'S PROBLEM EVERY human life is precious and every unnecessary death diminishes the human race - even if that death is self-inflicted from an overdose of heroin or morphine. So we should pause for reflection at the news that the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland increased by fully a quarter last year, to 421. Of those needless fatalities, most were young men. The highest proportion of such drug deaths occurred in the Greater Glasgow area. Responding to the news, the justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill, described drug abuse as "perhaps the most significant social problem of our time". He is correct. The sad thing is that outside the families and social groups immediately concerned, most of Scotland can afford to ignore the problem, except - probably - to dismiss these deaths as largely the fault of the drug addicts themselves. But that is a short-sighted view, as well as a callous one. Drug abuse shows no sign of going away. Indeed, this latest rise in drug-related fatalities suggests precisely the opposite. But this epidemic is not an isolated canker we can afford to ignore. British troops are fighting and dying in combat against the Taleban in Afghanistan, where the vast bulk of heroin comes from. Young drug addicts in Scotland pay for their habit through crime, and the drug pedlars who supply them use the cash to fund a host of other criminal activities, from acquiring illegal guns to female sex trafficking. Drugs are everyone's problem. To date, the response has been to criminalise the drug addict and attempt to clamp down on the supply of illegal narcotics. As a stand-alone strategy, this is clearly not making the problem go away. We will never cut off the supply as long as there is a demand. As well as tackling the drug pushers, we need just as great an emphasis on drug rehabilitation programmes, especially in prison. And it means a vastly more rigorous and sustained programme of anti-drug education: if we can change children's eating habits, surely we can diminish their enthusiasm for mindless drug-taking. This is easier said than done, and it will cost a lot of public money - - possibly as much as UKP100 million extra. But studies indicate that for every UKP1 invested in successful drug rehabilitation programmes, some UKP10 is ultimately saved in policing, healthcare and other social costs. That is a good rate of return and it should concentrate minds in the Executive and Scottish Parliament into taking action. It is all too easy to dismiss the latest drug fatalities as being self-inflicted and not society's problem. That is not just a heartless point of view - it is dangerously short-sighted. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart