Drink and Drugs News DDN March 2020 | Page 4

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 WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM