Drugs policy 'a resounding failure'

Thursday, 28 March, 2002, 09:46 GMT

Britain is among the top five consumers of heroin
photo- BBC

 

The drugs policies of New Labour and previous governments have been a "resounding failure", according to a think-tank set up by Tony Blair.
A report for the Foreign Policy Centre said ministers have failed to recognise the true cause of drug abuse - poverty.

Report author Rowena Young says there are now 500 times as many drug addicts in Britain as there were in the 1960s, and it is in the top five countries worldwide in terms of heroin consumption.

Ms Young says the government should shift its efforts away from attempting to reduce all drug use towards cutting the harmful effects among the socially excluded.

Policy makers should learn from community projects in Asia where treatment and counselling has been combined with help finding jobs and learning new skills, she says.

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