The reason behind this is because of the danger rating. Some legal drugs which are socially acceptable are classed as more dangerous because they cause more deaths than some illegal drugs because they have more users.
The article also states that class A, B, C are no longer appropriate. And it also states that the whole legislation system for drug abuse including dealing needs an overhaul. However it is not clear from the articles how the scientific evidence of harm is decided e.g. statistics are missing for Ketamine, Buprenorphine, 4-MTA and Methylphenidate. Therefore it is not clear how the danger rating was calculated. Due to this the information cannot be declared as completely reliable.
The first article stating that “drug classes have little link to dangers” shows that some drugs appear less dangerous and anti-social than the Governments classification system suggest. Such examples include ecstasy, LSD and 4-MTA. Other drugs such as alcohol and tobacco appear to be more dangerous that the Government has said.
The second article by Martin Barnes states that the Government has been reluctant to change the laws regarding the classification of drugs because it does not want to offend people who use tobacco and alcohol as there are many users of such drugs. Furthermore, it does not want to seem lenient on drugs which are currently illegal. These issues could affect the Governments political status and it does not want to lose any votes.
These two articles are conveying the same message: Britain needs a more up-to-date system to deal with drug abuse. The old system in place since 1971 is inappropriate for the 21st century and needs to be updated. This old system is inadequate for the demands of modern day society and the policies concentrating on punishment need to be amended.
In the article published on Friday 2nd June 2006 also from the Independent shows a different approach, suggesting that Britain should abolish its tough policy which punishes drug users and help them instead. In Zurich the number of drug users has fallen radically following the liberalisation of drug laws concerning Heroin. Rather than the addicts having to turn to crime to feed their drug habit, the government is eliminating the option of illegal drugs by using substitution treatment, providing them with the drug in order to reduce drug related crime. The users are also protected because they are not exposed to infection as they are not likely to share needles.
As a result of this young people’s attitudes to Heroin has changed because the attitudes associated with heroin has changed from “rebellion” to “illness” and Heroin is not held in such high esteem. This is reverse psychology, when a person is told not to take an illegal drug; they are going to take it. If the drug is illegal they are not going to take it, as there is no thrill from being rebellious and doing the opposite.
The policy in Switzerland seems to be a success because in the last 10 years there has been an astounding reduction in new users, 82% in fact. Addicts are offered heroin on prescription, access to “shooting galleries”, needle exchanges and oral methadone. This medicalised drug use has removes its glamour, making it trivial and less appealing.
The British government however takes the view that allowing drug consumption rooms risks increasing levels of dealing and anti-social crime. This is the disadvantage currently obstructing the government following suit. On the other hand, the benefits for society if the Swiss methods were to be used in Britain would be:
- Drug related crime such as robbery, anti-social behaviour, theft and fraud will decrease
- Levels of homelessness will reduce
- Reduction in drug-related deaths which is currently approximately 2,500 people per year
- Number of drug abusers will decrease, the current amount is 280,000 whom will live stable lives if they are helped in this way
- The problem will be contained with more supervision and closer monitoring
The doctor thinks that some users have turned round their lives as a result of this treatment. They come off heroin because of the boredom of routine and drudgery. In addition to the professional opinion, a more personal outlook given by a former addict stated that it should be done in very controlled conditions and only used as a last resort.
As I saw on the video, drug abuse has been a problem for centuries and I personally do not see a situation where the world will be free of drug abuse. This is because, when the word drug is defined we mean a medication and there are many legal drugs that are medically prescribed for the treatment of the ill. Drugs such as morphine and paracetamol can also be misused, and the abuse can lead to deaths. In this sense the problem of drug abuse can never be completely eliminated because people will just find another drug to abuse.
However, one must be cautious when reading the newspapers as it is likely to be biased. Not everything must be taken into account as it is not likely to be authentic or reliable.
To a certain extent not all drugs are as bad as each other; some drugs bring about more harm than others. In other ways, if particular drugs are abused constantly and in heavy quantities they can cause severe consequences, such as tobacco for example. Particular notice needs to be taken of Danger Ratings and the seriousness of heroin addiction. More should be done to prevent this, by tightening rules and regulations and giving harsher punishments to put off new users and give help to existing addicts.
Both sources offer contrasting methods for dealing with the problem. The first method, calling upon the government to update the system may not be taken into consideration by some politicians as they do not want to lose votes. However, if it is considered and action is taken, it is a worthwhile action. The second method calling upon softer laws can be seen as helping in some ways, but mainly making it easier for drugs to be abused. In my opinion, the government should tighten rules and regulations for drug abuse and crackdown on Drug related crime, reducing the usage of drugs, and also supply help for the addicts to stabilise their lives.
Politics and the law are barriers to both approaches because each method has to gain the Governments approval prior to the action taken, this may prove difficult. This is due to the fact that political parties view their own positions in government more precious than the welfare of the public. As a result of this, they are more concerned with losing votes rather than losing lives.
As a whole, drug abuse and addiction is a problem that cannot ever be eradicated completely but it can be controlled and reduced, particularly with certain drugs. As mentioned previously, there are options available to control the issue, and measures can be put in place to reduce drug abuse. The best method would be to take a combination of both options as stated previously. Maybe, in the distant future, drug abuse may not be such a huge pandemic as it is today.
