Drink and Drugs News DDN Dec 2017 | Page 21

Send a letter to the editor: [email protected] 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