LETTERS AND COMMENT
HAVE YOUR SAY
Write to the editor and get it off your chest
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They said what..?
Spotlight on the national media
takeover of our provincial towns is
the opposite of clever, it has been
utterly woeful and slow.
Sally Donovan, Guardian, 4 October
So a quarter of
young people have
seen illegal drugs
advertised on
social media... I’m
amazed that’s all –
perhaps the others
just aren’t very
observant.
EVOLVING MARKETS
So a quarter of young people
have seen illegal drugs advertised
on social media (DDN, October,
page 5). I’m amazed that’s all –
perhaps the others just aren’t
very observant. As is the case
with so many other aspects of
our lives – our jobs, our privacy,
our politics ¬– we’re still only at
the very beginning of seeing the
impact of social media, and the
internet in general, on drug sales
and distribution. And it’s not
simply about advertising drugs
for sale. Much of the popularity
of drugs like Xanax among young
people can be attributed to
social media, particularly when
it comes to certain rappers and
other ‘influencers’. Today’s drug
market is very different to that
of ten years ago ¬– in another
ten it’s going to be virtually
unrecognisable.
Paul Vernon, by email
PAST HISTORY
I was heartened to read your
account of The Forward Trust’s
WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM
‘More Than My Past’ campaign
(DDN, October, page 6). In my
twenties and early thirties I
was in active addiction and in
and out of the criminal justice
system. I haven’t touched an
illicit substance – or even a drink
– in over a decade and yet the
stigma is still very much there,
especially when applying for
a job. These days I’m lucky to
have a good job and a supportive
boss, but I’ve previously found
to my cost that being upfront
and honest about the past wasn’t
always in my best interest, to say
the least. Perhaps social attitudes
are finally changing, but it’s
going to take a very long time.
Alan Rickard, by email
MIDDLESBROUGH HEROIN
It’s so sad to see lots of
sensationalised media coverage.
This is a controversial topic
that is not helped by the
misreporting seen from some
media sources. On a lighter note
the precedence is set for more
local and governmental strategic
interventions, development from
evidence based research.
John Horton, via DDN
Facebook page
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www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
FOR YEARS NOW, TAXPAYERS have
put up with being told what we
can eat and drink. We’ve been
reassured that each new wheeze
by the public health lobby isn’t the
start of a slippery slope and that
we should be paying the salaries
and pensions of the people that
push this puritanism on us. This
elitism has infected civil society
for far too long. This patronising
attitude amounts to a simple
message: you’re too stupid to
have a say in your life – and the
state knows best.
Matt Kilcoyne, Spectator,
10 October
IT IS EASIER TO FIND FAULTS
with prohibition than to design
a better model. But there is now
a compelling case to treat drug
use as a public health problem,
not a mess for the police to clear
up. MPs are understandably
cautious about decriminalisation
of possession for personal use.
The Commons [Health and Social
Care] committee recommends
only that government consult on
the matter. It is the right question
for politicians to be asking, and
vital that they keep an open mind
when looking for answers.
Guardian editorial, 23 October
NONE OF US ARE RATIONAL
CREATURES, and many people
continue to view problems with
drugs as purely self-inflicted rather
than a response to trauma or loss
of hope. Those views matter as
they are held by people who vote,
so while evidence can influence a
politician, that tends to be trumped
by voters’ views, no matter how
illogical they are. We have all the
information we need, but we lack
the compassion and the courage
needed to implement policies that
protect rather than harm.
Ian Hamilton, Independent,
23 October
I HEAR A LOT ABOUT HOW
‘CLEVER’ the county lines drug
organisations are. Clever is not
the first word that comes to mind
to describe luring, trapping and
enslaving children, ruining their
lives and trashing the lives of
their families. Our response as
a civil society to this mafia-style
People get up in
arms about their
sweet potatoes
coming in plastic
wrapping but
then don’t think
twice about about
snorting coke on
the weekends.
PEOPLE GET UP IN ARMS about
their sweet potatoes coming
in plastic wrapping but then
don’t think twice about snorting
coke on the weekends. It’s easy
to bash people for their moral
inconsistencies but if you’re an
environmentalist fighting the
good fight, you have to be tough
on yourself. Recreational drug
use isn’t just a personal risk, it is
contributing to the destruction of
our planet.
Dan Burkitt, Metro, 12 October
NOVEMBER 2019 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 15