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MEDIA SAVVY
The news, and the skews, in the national media
Scots get set for ‘booze
cruises’ into England as
Supreme Court clears
the way for minimum
alcohol prices.
Mail headline, 16
November
Can we please get rid of
the word ‘alcoholic’?
After nearly 50 years linked to the field, I still don’t know what it means. It
seems to suggest that there is a group of people who are somehow
different in kind, as opposed to conceptualising problems as being a
continuum. Worryingly, it plays into the hands of the drinks industry which
has a vested interest in maintaining the fiction that there is a group of
irredeemably dependent drinkers who will drink come what may, while the
rest of us can imbibe with impunity. Is there a better word? How about the
phrase ‘person with an alcohol problem’?
Why are governments so
resistant to change?
Is it just fear of tabloid headlines? Certainly some politicians are only prepared
to emerge from the trenches once they retire. This resistance is not only to
legislative change; there is a reluctance to back service options for which there
is supporting evidence, such as heroin assisted treatment (HAT) and drug
consumption rooms (DCRs). HAT has a lengthy history in the UK; from the
original ‘British System’, t hrough the work of Dr John Marks to the RIOTT trials,
the lifesaving and stabilising virtues of HAT for carefully identified individuals is
well evidenced. From Switzerland to Canada, examples of well-run DCRs
demonstrate that they reduce a range of harms and can draw people into other
services. Why, then, are the national and devolved governments so coy?
Should we support changes in the law?
And finally, this takes us neatly to different legislative models of control. In
the current political climate, the government is unlikely to revisit the
Misuse of Drugs Act anytime soon. This is a pity, as lessons from elsewhere
tell us that some models of decriminalisation, linked to a health-based
approach, have considerable merit.
Such developments are a long way from the more radical reforms
advocated by some. It is ironic that the effective legalisation of cannabis in
certain countries and states in the US comes at a time when we are
beginning to understand the nature and extent of mental health problems
associated with it.
While prohibition remains the cornerstone of drug control, laissez faire
continues to characterise the approach taken to alcohol, particularly in
England. Is this paradox sustainable?
In the minefield of social control, it is a truism that greater availability
leads to more widespread use and a rise in health problems, while
proscription leads to less use at a societal level but increased criminality.
However, there are lessons to be learned from tobacco control. Consistency
of policy across successive governments of differing political hues has led to
price increases, restrictions on availability for children, the elimination of
advertising and the provision of cessation services, and combined, these
have achieved a remarkable public health success story. Smoking remains a
drug epidemic but one which is in serious decline: a positive note to end on.
Some of the challenges the field faces are changing, many remain the
same; I wish those working in services the best of luck in meeting them.
And to readers grappling with their own problems I would like to say: ‘if it
works for you, it works for you, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!’
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
Imposing piffling tariffs only
targets the poor and looks like the
paternalistic meddling of a
bourgeois elite that thinks it is
okay to sit at home with a bottle
of chablis so long as the plebs
can’t get loaded on cheap cider
and smash up the town centre. As
if the rich can take their drink but
the poor cannot.
Giles Coren, Times, 18 November
It is not the price of alcohol that
has to change, but social attitudes
to drinking. But that would be too
difficult – a meaningless gesture
like this is far more grandiose.
Jan Moir, Mail, 17 November
Cost of beer, cider and whisky to
ROCKET after ruling hikes prices
by 25%
Star headline, 15 November
We basically tell people with this
chronic illness we might be able
to help you initiate your recovery,
but then you are on your own.
Good luck! The journey to long-
term recovery for the leading
cause of death for those under
50 in America shouldn’t have to
be all luck. It’s up to all of us to
get involved.
Greg Williams, Guardian,
4 November
We believe minimum
pricing will help in the
fight against the scourge
of alcohol abuse. It is not
certain. It will be judged
by results. But the overwhelming
feeling among those taking an
interest in the matter is that it
must be tried… Wearying statistics
tell us Scotland has long led the
way on alcohol abuse. It is now,
we are happy to say, leading the
way on tackling it.
Herald Scotland editorial,
16 November
The Scottish government and the
supreme court have now shown
that public health considerations
do not have to take second place
to market, competition or any
other factors: they have merit in
their own right. Westminster
should take note.
Mary Dejevsky, Guardian,
16 November
It’s time to shift away from a drug
policy framework that’s dripping
with moralism while utterly
lacking humanity and
effectiveness. The evidence is
utterly clear on this: making drug
use illegal doesn’t stop people
doing it, and doesn’t protect them
from harm. Make no mistake,
prohibition kills and a refusal to
change direction at this juncture
is unforgivable.
Caroline Lucas MP, Independent,
2 November
December/January 2018 | drinkanddrugsnews | 21