The long, strange trip

Ten years of a drug strategy

Harry Shapiro

DrugScope

DrugScope

• UK’s main drug information charity• UK’s largest drug sector membership organisation• Europe’s largest information bank of resources on

the misuse of drugs• First port of call for media comment and

background on drugs issues• Secretariat of Parliamentary All Party Group on

Drug Misuse• Policy and information advice to government

1966

• Amount of heroin seized = nil

• Number of known heroin users = 1349

• No drug strategy

• No treatment system

• No drug squads

2006

• Amount of heroin seized = 2.1 metric tons (2004)

• Number of heroin users = 300,000 plus

AND…..

• SMAS; DAT; DRG; CJIP; DIP;CARAT

• QUADS; NOMS; DANOS; DPAS; NTA

• CDCU; UKADCU; MOCAM; DTTO; DRR

• EATA; LDPF; ACMD; NTORS; NDTMS

• SOCA; NCIS; FDAP; LDAN; NICE; PCT

• DAO; IDTMS; YOT; LSP; LAA…..

The tipping point

1979

The Road to Strategic Thinking

• 1982 ACMD report ‘Treatment and Rehabilitation’

• 1985 Home Office ‘Tackling Drug Misuse’

• 1990 UK Action on Drug Abuse: The Government’s Strategy

• 1993 ‘Across the Divide’……

The Future

• What will the new strategy look like?

• Will there be a new strategy?

• Mainstreaming?

• Local devolution?

• Funding?

Be part of the change

• Regional member events in March/April

• National conference in July

• Conference presentations and networking

• Online consultation

• New website – enhanced membership area