Pubdate: Fri, 3 Oct 2008
Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: 2008 Telegraph Group Limited
Contact:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/114
Author: Christopher Hope, Home Affairs Editor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

MILLIONS OF POUNDS 'WASTED' ON DRUG TREATMENT, TORIES CLAIM

Millions of pounds have been wasted on Government-funded drugs 
programmes to get hardened addicts off drugs, the Tories claimed.

New figures show that a record 202,000 people went through drug 
treatment programmes in England last year.

But just 7,324 - four per cent - were released free of drugs.

This compares with 3,632 three years ago in 2004-05. Over the same 
period, the Government's drug Treatment Budget rose by 57 per cent to 
UKP 145million.

Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve, said that "the Government's 
entire approach of simply trying to manage addiction is wrong".

He said: "Drugs wreck lives and destroy communities but these figures 
show that despite a significant increase in investment there has been 
a paltry increase in the number of addicts going clean.

"This failing approach is compounded by Labour's mixed and confused 
messages on the dangers posed by cannabis and ecstasy. The fact the 
Government won't acknowledge this makes them part of the problem not 
the solution."

Paul Hayes, chief executive of the National Treatment Agency for 
Substance Misuse, said his agency could do better.

He said: "The treatment sector as a whole, and the NTA as an 
organisation, must again raise our game, ensuring our staff are 
skilled enough, our resources are allocated appropriately, and that 
we better communicate what we are doing to the public."

Other statistics from the NTA also showed that more than 64,000 
people remained in treatment for 12 weeks.

Mr Hayes added: "Most users do not want to be in treatment for the 
rest of their lives. They see treatment as a means to help them 
overcome addiction and gain control of their lives.

"The NTA's role is to help services to enable that process, and 
support users to leave treatment safely, free of dependency." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake