NEWS ROUND-UP
T
Even if more
money became
available for drug
treatment, there
would still be ‘a lot
of work to do’ to
build up capacity
and expertise.
Professor Dame Carol Black
he illegal drugs
market ‘has long
existed but has never
caused greater harm
to society than now’,
according to the first phase of
Professor Dame Carol Black’s
Independent review of drugs. Even
if more money became available
for drug treatment, there would
still be ‘a lot of work to do’ to build
up capacity and expertise, the
document adds.
Professor Black was appointed
by the government to lead a
wide-ranging review into drug
harm (DDN, March 2019, page 5).
Published in a week that saw rival
drug summits held in the same
Glasgow venue by Scottish and UK
governments increasingly at odds
over drugs policy, the phase one
report says that increased funding
for treatment is vital as a ‘prolonged
shortage’ has resulted in a loss of
skills, expertise and capacity.
The illicit drugs market is worth
around £9.4bn per year, it states,
and not only are drug deaths at an
all-time high but the market has
become ‘much more violent’. The
report estimates the health harms,
cost of crime and wider societal
impact to add up to almost £20bn,
‘more than twice the value of the
market itself’. The county lines
model has meant that young
people and children have been
pulled into drugs supply on ‘an
alarming scale, especially at the
most violent end of the market’,
with strong associations with
increases in child poverty, school
exclusions and the number of
children in care.
In terms of treatment,
funding pressures have led to the
disappearance of some services and
rationing of others, with similarities
to adult social care. ‘Providers
have been squeezed, staff are paid
relatively badly and there has been
high turnover in the sector and a
depletion of skills, with the number
of medics, psychologists, nurses and
social workers in the field falling
significantly.’
Phoenix Futures welcomed the
report and stated that ‘drug use
costs the country £20bn a year and
only a mere £600m of that is in
treatment. Communities across the
country deserve better.’ Collective
Voice added that it was ‘deeply
concerned’ by the document and
called for a reverse in ‘the funding
cuts that have devastated addiction
services over the last eight years and
blighted the lives of so many people.’
Review at www.gov.uk
Cannabis legalisation a ‘mental health risk’
MOVES TO LEGALISE CANNABIS
risk ‘fuelling the nation’s mental
health crisis’, the charity Rethink
Mental Illness has warned. While it
recognises the ‘strong arguments’
for legislative change, more needs to
be done to determine if legalisation
would increase levels of public harm,
the charity states, as use of high-
potency cannabis can increase the
likelihood of developing psychosis. It
is urging policy makers to make sure
that the debate around legalising
the drug for recreational use reflects
the possible impact on the most
4 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • MARCH 2020
vulnerable and those living with – or
at risk of – severe mental illness.
‘We recognise the problems
with the current law,’ said deputy
CEO Brian Dow. ‘In seeking to
overcome the current problems
of criminalisation, we must guard
against inadvertently creating
a public health emergency. This
debate has already been given a lot
of airtime, but people are less eager
to confront the potential impact of
legalisation on some of the most
vulnerable people in society. We
need to redefine the debate.’
People are less
eager to confront
the potential
impact of
legalisation on
some of the most
vulnerable people
in society.
Alcohol
commission
will look
at bigger
picture
A NEW COMMISSION ON ALCOHOL
HARM will hear from professionals,
charities, researchers and people
affected by alcohol personally or in
their family life.
The commission has been
established in the absence of an
up-to-date alcohol strategy for the
UK, says the Alcohol Health Alliance.
‘Alcohol plays a huge part of the
everyday lives of many people across
the UK, and therefore it is important
to examine its impact on our society
more closely,’ said commission chair
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff. ‘We need
Illegal drugs market has
‘never caused greater harm’,
says Carol Black review
We welcome the
input of those who
face the effects of
alcohol harm in
their professional
or personal lives.
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff
to understand how our drinking
habits affect our own health as well
as the way alcohol can affect those
around us. We welcome the input
of those who face the effects of
alcohol harm in their professional
or personal lives in order to help us
make meaningful recommendations
on a vision for the future.’
See news focus, page 6
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