The Drug Policy doesn't work.

[bp]

Here's something to get your teeth into; enjoy!!

B


The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has published 'Thirtieth Report: Tackling problem drug use'The report concluded that although the Government spends £1.2 billion a year on measures aimed at tackling p'Thirtieth Report: Tackling problem drug use'. roblem drug use, it is not clear what the overall effect this spending is having, and around one-quarter of problem drug users are hard-core offenders who resist measures to reduce their offending or 'drop out' of drug treatment. Problem drug users typically relapse several times into further drug use and offending during and after drug treatment and despite local authorities spending £30 million on housing support for problem drug users in 2008-09, up to 100,000 drug users in England continue to have a housing problem. Other key facts are that some problem drug users quickly relapse into drug use and reoffending when released from prison and measures to reduce problem drug use by young people have had limited impact.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmpubacc/456/45602.htm

[bp]

I believe this is an apt place for this 'exchanage' between the founder of another user led charity and David Cameron's office.

B


Hi Mr Cameron,

I manage a very small, at times struggling, charity based in ****, working
across the County, . We carry out all the ‘user involvement’ work (and much
more besides) on behalf of drug treatment commissioners in ***.  XX whom im
sure you know from out and about, is one of our commissioners who is very
keen on ensuring we assist as many non voting members of the public, whom
most party members are uninterested in canvassing, hence my title ‘the
unwanted vote’!

[section of letter removed in response to complaint]

I *know *that the abstinence approach to treatment works for many, but those
many are usually from self help groups such as AA and NA, and are down to
the individuals want to stop using, rehab is just a helping hand, the hard
work starts when you leave and live independently for the 1st time in your
life, free from drugs with no prospects of work or a life ahead for various
reasons.

But, I also know that the harm reduction approach to treatment *is* an
effective one. All of our staff and volunteers here at ~**^<> are taking
the HR approach to treatment and I myself have been in HR treatment since
2001, I tried abstinence and all it did was send me back out on the street
as a ‘working girl’, addicted to more substances than I was before and
totally destabilised what had been a very stable part of my life before this
detox from my medication.

I’ve been the Chief executive of this Charity since its inception, I set it
up myself, have managed it myself, im a single parent of*** my oldest
daughter gets very upset when she’s told by people from the *** that her mum
is still a junkie.

I have not committed crime since 2001, not been in prison since 2001, got my
daughter back to live with me in 2002, we go on holiday like other families,
we have a normal household, we pay our taxes and are normal citizens, and
are very happy.

If abstinence was forced on us all, I know I’d go back to using again as
life as a single mother was too hard for me the 1st time round and gave me a
heroin habit, myself, my colleagues, and users in *****are being pushed out
of your key messages, with only abstinence approach to treatment being
highlighted as the only route to successfully leaving a life of crime and
drug use by your party, making us believe that despite all else we would
risk voting Labour, we hold firm with them for just one thing, they know the
HR route into and remaining in treatment works. It upsets me to think that
your drug advisers are not telling you the full story, David the heroin boom
in this country ruined many, many lives, taken many too and it will never
stop, once a person knows there’s that one little thing out there, costing
£10 a time that makes you forget about all your problems, they will always
go back to it.

Addiction is classed as a chronic medical relapsing condition, alike many
other medical conditions but, I don’t see your approach to treatment being a
punative one for any other illness, only ours, usually due to the fact that
the majority of your followers have never met an addict, never seen what
they have been through in their lives and never know that they are actually,
usually very articulate people with great futures ahead of them, but, if
their prescriptions that keep them stable are taken away, they will be
committing crime again, loosing children again, losing jobs, loosing homes
and your jails will be bursting at the seams.

The NTA is working, DAAT’s in the SE region are working, our DAAT sends over
80 people a year to residential rehab, but, they get no help when they leave
if they stay in the area the rehab is in and it’s too hard to return to your
own area. Drug treatment has come on in leap and bounds since the inception
of the NTA, I have colleagues all over the UK who have successfully stopped
using street drugs but are still in prescribing treatment, there are
thousands of them!!!!!!!!

We would love to come and chat to you at one of your surgeries in *****
where we hold an information surgery for drug users every week at the local
Drug Treatment Clinic. We know how busy you are, we cannot find dates for
your surgeries anywhere, is this possible?

Thank you for the time taken for one of your colleagues to read this email

REPLY RECEIVED TODAT WAS AS FOLLOWS:

Dear

Thank you very much for your email. David is visiting Yorkshire today so I
hope you do not mind if I respond on his behalf. He will, of course, see
your email as soon as possible.

I’m afraid we’re going to need to agree to disagree. We believe that
maintaining heroin addictions using methadone is not the right way forward.
Labour have tried it over the last decade and have proved that it fails.

A Conservative government will send an absolutely clear message on drugs. We
will take concerted action to tackle the scourge of drugs on our streets.
We would introduce an abstinence-based Drug Rehabilitation Order to break
the cycle of addiction and offending. The focus on abstinence is a
fundamental distinction between Labour’s approach of maintenance and
management, which has failed, and ours.

We would also introduce a dedicated Border Police Force with responsibility
for protecting the UK’s
borders. This will strengthen our efforts to
intercept drugs before they reach the streets. Unlike Gordon Brown’s Border
Agency, our force will include the police and have real power to protect our
borders. Officers will have full powers to stop, search, detain and
prosecute.

Thank you, once again, for writing.

Kind regards, Hannah

[wastedyouth]

I would just like to point out that i am not very politically minded but I think Hannah was wrong when she said that "Labours approach of maintanace and management, has failed", i just know from my personnal experience(someone who has been on methadone for 9 years and not because i want to)if they forced abstenence upon me i would be out commiting crime and would like to say that shortly after being put on methedone and realising that this little green liquid can accually stop me from going into withdrawls i stoped all crime including using street drugs.  In the past i have decreased my highest amount has been 70mls i am now on 50mls i know thats not much in 9yrs but with methadone i can manage my life, bring up my children in a DRUG FREE ENVIROMENT which i think thats worth it alone knowing that maybe the cycle can be stopped and the next generation have a chance.  I dont expect anyone like David Cameron to care about addicts but he should care about the up in coming generation and without maintenence programs there will be more children in care, more neglect, more addiction through learned behaviour.  All i can ask David if you dont care about the Addicts alone think of all these children living with those addicts, who would you rather live with someone stable on methadone or someone chaotic doing ANYTHING for money.

Methadone has given my children a chance at a normal happy life, take that methadone away and you take away there childhood.  You could say thats my fault and i have to live with it, but do my children deserve it when there is a perfectly good enough answer out there already in use.

[alli]

I do not think that it is possible to reason with a conservative MP or indeed prime minister.  Their beliefs and values are clear - they are right wing and will always be there to serve the upper middle-classes and upper-classes, businesses and to maintain a capitilalist soiciety at the highest level.  To help the poor, needy and vulnerable has never been on their agenda and never will be.  They have no interest in the working classes except to use them and exploit them, - of course they need their vote to get into power hence the false promises before the election, - why working class people buy the 'sun' believing it to be a paper that represents working class values when it backs tory beliefs beggars belief.

Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the north of England all voted Labour - and always have done - these are all big working class areas and much poorer than the rich south - which is they area that keeps getting the tories in.

People don't understand how much Labour have done for the poor and vulnerable till its too late.  They were making it possible in so many areas that service users (not just for drug and alcohol services, but in general, e,g,- the nhs, people with disabilities) were being listened to and that the services would change and develop to provide better care for the people who use them.  The effort that that has taken will all be wasted now once the tories start to deconstruct all that has been put in place.

People need to remember that tories will never ever represent the most vulnerable and needy in society, that is not what they stand for.  And they will never listen to them.

[Flip]

Absolutely agree Ali!
Bets on how long before some Tory bright spark decides to privatise the prison services? After all they will have to do something with all the people they will be criminalising by court ordered abstinence programs. It wont take them long to figure out that one of their cronies could be making a profit from it , then we will have a system similar to that which "works so well" in the USA. Why anyone who doesn't drive a Bentley ever votes for these mongrels is beyond me! Welcome back to the middle ages...

Flip

[alli]

spot on flip!

[wastedyouth]

ThatsThe thing that worries me when " ALLI" says the Tories will now be getting ready to deconstruct that leaves addicts like me in a place of being insecure.  Should i start to find out who has the best gear the now caus without a maintenance script that will be my next Question.  I for once accually feel worried!!!