Drug-control Policies in Britain (From Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, Volume 14, P 167-227, 1991, Michael Tonry, ed. -- See NCJ-130417)

• NCJ Number: 130421
• Author(s): G Pearson
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 61 pages
• Sale Source: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This analysis of British policies regarding drug control concludes that the British approach to heroin addiction has been widely misunderstood and that it and the more recent effort to prevent the spread of HIV represent a flexible approach in which the public health approach has a central role.

Abstract

In the 1960's heroin use was a relatively minor problem that was confined almost entirely to London and that did not remove the medical profession from its central role in the British response to drug abuse. However, during the 1980's, a major heroin epidemic spread rapidly through some towns and cities in the North of England and Scotland, concentrated mainly in areas of high unemployment and social deprivation. Government-sponsored responses have included mass media campaigns and a strengthened law enforcement responses. Nevertheless, the basic system has remained essentially intact, and the issue of drug-related HIV transmission has produced responses that emphasize public health strategies. 269 references (Author abstract modified)