DRUGS: MY CRY IN THE WILDERNESS

It's a situation we have been dreading for a number of years. North Devon
now has a serious drugs problem on its hands. And in my book, the relaxed
attitude towards cannabis is going to exacerbate the problem.

The revelation that the average heroin addict in North Devon has to find
£1,000 a month to feed the habit must have come as a shock to many whose
lives, fortunately, are not tainted by drugs or their awful effects.

Equally stark is a comment from a project worker who is in the thick of the
daily battle to give support to those with drug abuse problems. She said:
"We see people rotting in front of us."

It's an assessment which graphically describes the despair those admirable
volunteers must sometimes feel as they do their best to stem the inexorable
tide of damage which dugs usage causes. I am well aware that Government
proposals to re-classify cannabis have the backing of a large number of
intelligent, well-meaning people who believe this step will in no way spark
a drift towards the harder, killer-drugs like crack cocaine and heroin.

But in my view it is the thin end of the wedge, that the door - now slightly
ajar - will soon be wide open, almost creating a form of respectability
towards the whole field of drug abuse

The comparison is often made with alcohol poisoning when defending the
unfettered use of cannabis. You might just as well claim that walking under
a double-decker bus is roughly the same as walking under a heavy lorry.
Neither is recommended. It's the vicious spiral which is so hard to stop.
Drug addicts in North Devon raise 51% of the money they apparently need
through shop-lifting, 14% through selling drugs, 13% from burglaries, and
12% from vehicle crime.

The offences keep the police hard at work trying to solve the crimes and we
- - the general public who deplore the whole business but wonder how on earth
it can be contained - pay the taxes which fund the policing.

The really startling aspect of the most recent batch of statistics, is that
the average heroin-user in this part of the country wakes up each morning
needing to find goods to the value of £200 to meet the craving, though this
can be whittled down to £50 because you never get the full value of stolen
goods when you are trying to sell them in a hurry.

It is believed there are 225 heroin users in North Devon and Torridge
districts. A small number, perhaps, in relation to the population as a
whole, but still a disturbing figure which will undoubtedly rise.

But it seems there is less chance of the dealers and users operating in the
smaller communities where the police work closely with housing providers and
neighbourhood watch schemes whose clear message is: "We are not going to
stand for this in our area."

The volunteers who man support groups to help the homeless and needy are the
stars of our society. But for their untiring efforts to bring a little order
into shattered lives, I don't know how thousands trying to beat the habit
would fare.

It is clear the help agencies are crucially under-funded when it comes to
the rehabilitation process. Some users are suicidally inclined, putting
support workers' jobs on a frightening level. It is hardly surprising Police
Sergeant Roger Bartlett of the community safety team says the shift of
cannabis use is "a very bad step."

"All it will do is to create more freedom for the suppliers to do their work
without being detected," he adds.

Silly old me. I imagined we should be making life harder for the dealers,
not easier. The sad thing is that it appears my view on cannabis is a voice
crying in the proverbial wilderness. Some days, I really do wonder in what
direction we are heading