Give heroin to addicts, says UK police chief/Downgrade ecstasy, drug expert tells MPs

[Guest guest]

Give heroin to addicts, says police chiefhttp://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,1954751,00.html· Prescribing drug on NHS 'would reduce crime' · Trials underway at clinics in London and north-east Duncan CampbellThursday November 23, 2006The Guardian

A top police officer called yesterday for heroin to be prescribed to addicts to cut the link between drugs and crime. Howard Roberts, deputy chief constable of Nottinghamshire police, said that making the class A drug available under supervision would save money in the long run. He cited figures showing addicts each commit on average 432 offences a year, "from burglary to robbery, to sometimes murder, to get the money to buy drugs". On average, each addict steals at least £45,000 worth of property a year.

He said the experts would "be able to step in - either through one-to-one support or in group sessions - to offer a helping hand to parents who are beginning to struggle with their children before the problems get out of hand".

Mr Blair denied the scheme would involve "interfering with normal family life", adding: "Life isn't normal if you've got 12-year-olds out every night, drinking and creating nuisance on the street with their parents not knowing or even caring." The plans coincide with a government-commissioned Mori poll revealing that 85% of people think bad parenting is responsible for bad behaviour. Commenting on the findings, the prime minister said: "This should be no surprise given the huge popularity of television programmes in which experts help parents with their problem kids." More details of the "supernanny" scheme will be revealed by the home secretary, John Reid, later today. However, Paul Cavadino, the chief executive of the crime reduction charity Nacro, said blaming parents was "unproductive". "Many parents are at their wits' end to know how to control their children's behaviour," he said. "They need support rather than a punitive approach." Mr Cavadino said parents should not be forced to attend courses, adding: "Parenting courses have a proven track record in helping parents to exercise more effective control over their children's behaviour. "However, a voluntary approach is usually more likely to engage parents than compulsion, which can run the risk of breeding resentment." He pointed out that youth courts were already able to order parents to attend parenting courses when their children were convicted of criminal offences. "We should be cautious about extending compulsory powers to other types of antisocial behaviour without the procedural safeguards of a youth court hearing," he said. The government's respect coordinator, Louise Casey, insisted evidence showed compulsory courses were "equally effective as voluntary". "Almost nine times out of 10, those parents do not have to be forced to do it - they are actually taking help when they get the right wake-up call," she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. "I am very comfortable - as is every member of the public, the Mori poll shows - that if you need to force people on to parenting courses to get help, then you should."

----------

Downgrade ecstasy, drug expert tells MPs

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,1954764,00.html

 

Alan Travis, home affairs editorThursday November 23, 2006The Guardian

Ecstasy and LSD, which are believed to be used by half a million youngsters every week, should be downgraded from class A drugs, the government's drug adviser recommended yesterday. Professor David Nutt, who sits on the advisory council on the misuse of drugs, said that ranking ecstasy and LSD alongside heroin and cocaine was "an anomaly", and an official review of their status was under way. A decision to move ecstasy and LSD from class A to class B would mean that the maximum penalty for possession would fall from seven years to five years, and that for dealing from life imprisonment to 14 years. In practice the average penalties would be similar to those imposed for cannabis before it was reclassified 18 months ago.

But Prof Nutt told the parliamentary science and technology committee that he thought barbiturates could be "worth moving up to class A". His comments came after MPs and peers asked him which drugs he thought were wrongly classified.

The review into the legal status of ecstasy is to examine whether more could be done to reduce the harm caused by a drug which is believed to have been used by 10% of Britons aged 18 to 24. The drugs minister, Vernon Coaker, said he would examine any recommendation put forward by the advisory council for the misuse of drugs, but stressed that a decision would be a matter of political judgment. The shadow home secretary, David Davis, said downgrading ecstasy would send out the wrong message. The idea of downgrading ecstasy was first put forward by the Police Foundation inquiry into the future of drugs policy.