more money than ever

[steve]

the truth is that more money than ever is being poured into cracking the heroin problem by getting more and more drug workers on the streets,but even these workers have to admit there not really being that successful and are treating it as a positive just getting people off the brown and swapping it for the green.If there was no more doe for the problem or even is there is what should be done with it .

[simon]

Steve,

sorry I'm a bit confused about what you are asking could you rephrase the question?

[steve]

i feel drug services are now content getting heroin users onto scripts and leaving  them there and with all the money being now poured onto the problem is it being spent to its best use.In wales and England last year they only managed to get less than 100 people drug free(if they still are i don't know)

[simon]

I guess it's got to be to do with what the patient wants and if they want to stay on a script they should be encouraged to do so. We go back a long way to Nyswander and Dole to look at the reasons for keeping people on medication.
I have seen people who have felt such failures when trying to detox and not being able to do it and it can  be quite cruel. Detox has to be an option for highly motivated people at their request.
I'm not sure of the evidence to say only 100 people left treatment drug free
http://www.nta.nhs.uk/
Don't believe everything that you read.

[Jim]

Steve, even by that exceptionally narrow definition of success you are 580 times out.  The figure quoted by the BBC was 70 MORE people drug free from the 2500 who got free under previous funding.  somehow they misread AN EXTRA 3,300 fo 70,  And they were using the same statistics. 

[mikey]

love it.

[thegreyman]

hi steve,im  also confused by your post but in simple terms methinks that getting people onto green as opposed to staying on brown i think its cost effective if you consider the cost of someone on brown having to offend to raise funds to score,court case costs and poss cost of keeping that 'criminal' in jail. whereas green is v cheap and is a less chaotic way of life, it enables those who want it the stability to begin to change their life. As to if the money could be better spent, that prob varies up and down the country,depending on what individuals want from their treatment.

[mikey]

If you are an abstentionist it is not cost effective.
If you believe in harm reduction it is well worth it.

So who is driving this argument I wonder???

[thegreyman]

In either case compared to the alternative,it is definitely cost effective...... to ones health.