CRACKING DOWN ON DRUGS
We Need More Treatment Programmes

Beware of new policies spun at political conferences to divert
attention from more embarrassing issues.

Be doubly cautious if the new policy covers a complex problem for
which there is no simple answer.

Yesterday, in a bid to divert media attention away from embarrassing
reports that Tony Blair was planning to stay in office for 10 years, a
new government initiative on drugs was announced.

All those arrested for criminal offences could be tested for drugs
under proposals to be unveiled this autumn.

Category A drug-takers - heroin, cocaine, crack - would face much
tougher bail conditions. The prime minister noted that "in some
inner-city areas today 50% of those arrested have drugs in their
system - a very large proportion of the crimes committed in Britain
are drugs-related".

No one can deny the link between drugs and crime.

Home office studies have shown one out of five people arrested by the
police is using heroin.

A separate health survey of 1,100 heroin addicts calculated that they
had committed 70,000 crimes to finance their addiction.

In some areas, where crime prevention measures have made burglary more
difficult, addicts have turned to robbery. But it is foolish to
believe that a drugs test on everyone arrested would resolve this dilemma.

What would the police do with people found by the test to have been
consuming cannabis?

Pot stays in the bloodstream far longer than heroin.

A government which has set its face against decriminalising soft drugs
could find itself pushing thousands of soft drug users through the
courts.

Under the last Labour crime and disorder bill courts were given new
powers to introduce treatment and testing orders.

Most addicts do want to give up their addiction.

Britain's problem has not been too many treatment programmes but too
few. Traditionally two-thirds of the drugs control budget has been
spent on law enforcement and only one-third on prevention, education
and treatment.

Even though all health authorities are now required to include
anti-drugs measures in their health improvement programmes, the budget
is still too geared to law enforcement.

Treatment programmes have been shown to be far more
effective.

One British research study found a residential treatment programme had
cut shoplifting among its trainees from 34% to 5%. But there is
already a long waiting-list in the UK for treatment programmes.
Mandatory testing on arrest could increase the demand for such
programmes by a factor of five or more. The most objectionable aspect
of yesterday's leak was the way it played to tabloid prejudices:
"Ministers to become tougher with drug addicts." This is not going to
solve the problem.

The hard part is to introduce programmes which ensure young people do
not turn to heroin in the first place.

Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, was right last week to
condemn the way Westminster politicians had shied away from the
serious debate on drugs.

He has asked for a royal commission into drugs, but a national
commission is due to report by the end of the year. Does the prime
minister really want to suck even more of these people into the
criminal justice system?

He should talk to the police.

They have been diverting them from the criminal justice system for
years.

It is the police who have led the call for more education and
treatment programmes and less law and order. The prime minister is due
to expand on yesterday's leak in his conference speech on Tuesday.
Until then, judgment should be suspended.