17/11/2008 by admin.

Just read this encouraging article below from todays Guardian online. It seems treating cocaine & heroin addicts for their addiction does reduce crime levels.

Research published today shows that heroin and crack cocaine addicts receiving drug treatment commit fewer crimes to feed their habit.

The Manchester University study, based on data from the police national computer, shows that the number of offences committed by addicts - such as theft - fell by almost half once they had entered drug treatment programmes.

The research results were based on 1,500 heroin and crack cocaine users who had recently been convicted and sentenced to undergo rehabilitation treatment in the community rather than jailed.

The study found that the total number of crimes for which they were charged in the year following the start of treatment fell from 4,381 to 2,348. The biggest category of theft fell from 1,234 to 635. The highest proportion of crimes committed while they were in treatment were for breaching a previous sentence.

Reductions in crime were consistent across the board. Violence more than halved, as did offences of fraud, drug possession and prostitution.

Paul Hayes, of the National Treatment Agency, which funded the study, said: “While this confirms the value of using substitute prescribing … to stabilise drug users, it also shows crime is cut rather than eradicated. This reinforces the need for drug workers to go further and do more to actively get users off drugs and reintegrated into society.”

Posted in Heroin addiction, Cocaine Addiction, Drug & Alcohol Addiction, Drug Treatment, Heroin | No Comments »

17/11/2008 by admin.

Just read this article from Guradian online about public opinion to drug testing for certain occupations. Here is an extract below

 Britons have become more hardline in their attitudes towards drugs and the people who use them, a major poll commissioned by The Observer has revealed.

The toughening in public opinion includes an overwhelming desire for key workers, such as police officers, teachers and doctors, to face regular testing.

According to the survey, which was carried out by ICM research and is reported fully in Drugs Uncovered magazine, free with today’s Observer, the proportion of people who think that drug laws are too liberal has risen from a quarter in 2002 to 32 per cent. Meanwhile, those who believe that legislation is not liberal enough has fallen from 30 to 18 per cent and support for decriminalising certain drugs has dropped from 38 to 27 per cent.

Similarly, 85 per cent now feel that police officers should undergo routine testing to see if they have been using illicit substances compared with 61 per cent six years ago, when The Observer last conducted an in-depth poll on drugs. Just 46 per cent believed teachers should face testing then; now 68 per cent do. The same trend emerged for pilots, drivers, doctors and nurses.

Click here to read the full story

Posted in Drug Testing News, Drug Testing, drugs | No Comments »