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.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart