Drugs – Facing Facts the Report of the RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy RSA Drug Report Prelims Prf4:Layout 1 1/3/07 15:43 Page 1
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Drugs – facing facts The report of the RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy RSA_Drug_Report_Prelims_prf4:Layout 1 1/3/07 15:43 Page 1 Drugs – facing facts The report of the RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy March 2007 RSA_Drug_Report_Prelims_prf4:Layout 1 1/3/07 15:43 Page 2 Encouraging enterprise Moving towards a zero-waste society Developing a capable population Fostering resilient communities Advancing global citizenship The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce 8 John Adam Street London WC2N 6EZ T +44 (0) 20 7930 5115 www.theRSA.org Registered as a charity in England and Wales no. 212424 Designed by Webb & Webb Design Limited Typeset by Jocelyn Clarke Illustrations by Chris Brown Printed by CGI Europe This report is printed on recycled paper. ISBN 978 0 901469 60 1 Copyright © RSA 2007 Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings, interpretations and conclusions set out in this report are those of the RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy. The report represents the views of the Commission as a whole and inevitably does not reflect at every point the individual opinion of each and every Commission member. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the RSA or its Trustees. The RSA encourages the development of a principled, prosperous society. Through a far-reaching programme of projects and events promoting creativity, innovation and good practice, and with the support of its diverse network of influential Fellows, the RSA challenges convention, provokes debate and instigates lasting change. The RSA is grateful to the Wates Foundation for their support of this project. Further details on the RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy are available at the website www.rsadrugscommission.org RSA_Drug_Report_Prelims_prf4:Layout 1 1/3/07 16:30 Page 3 Contents Terms of reference 4 Biographies 6 Executive summary 10 Introduction 21 Part I Drugs at the moment 1 The drugs people use 26 2 ‘Demon drugs’ 30 3 Drugs as a business 38 4 Illegal drug use in Britain 50 5 Drugs’ effects 66 6 Why people use drugs 89 7 Legal and illegal drugs 96 Part II Drugs policy at the moment 8 The evolution of drugs policy 107 9 The objectives of policy 113 10 Reducing the supply of drugs 118 11 Reducing the demand for drugs: attitudes, awareness and behaviour 137 12 Reducing the demand for drugs: treatment and support 164 13 Reducing the harms from drugs: improving treatment and support 194 Part III A new line of policy 14 What should drugs policy be like? 231 15 How policy is currently delivered 250 16 The limitations of the current system 255 17 Improving delivery 263 Part IV Drugs and the Law 18 The law at present 275 19 What is wrong with the law at present 284 20 ‘To legalize or not to legalize’ 300 21 A new legal framework for the regulation of drugs 310 Concluding reflections 325 Appendix RSA/The Daily TelegraphYouGov survey on the general public’s attitudes to drugs and drug use 329 3 RSA_Drug_Report_Prelims_prf4:Layout 1 1/3/07 16:30 Page 4 Drugs – facing facts RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy Terms of Reference Objectives 1.1 To examine, as an independent body, all aspects of the relationship between public policy and the use and abuse of illegal drugs. 1.2 In pursuit of the RSA manifesto challenge ‘fostering resilient communities’, to investigate, among other things, the practical impact of current drugs policy on communities. 1.3 To encourage informed discussion among those with a particular interest in policy on the misuse of drugs – legislators, policy-makers, the police, the medical and legal professions, service providers, academics, private companies, educators and the media. 1.4 To raise the level of public understanding and debate about public policy on the use and abuse of illegal drugs. The commission is expected to decide its own mode of working which may include: a. determining topics for briefing and research papers to inform its deliberations b. publishing briefing papers, research papers and reports as may be thought appropriate c. inviting written or oral evidence from individuals and organizations with particular experience of the issues under discussion d. convening seminars of experts in the field for discussion of the issues e. staging public lectures to promote awareness and debate of the issues under discussion f. visiting organizations or individuals affected by public policy on drugs – in the fields, among others, of education, treatment and criminal justice g. devising a plan for the dissemination of its findings. Terms of Reference The commission is asked to: a. look for answers to two questions: i. if current policy and practice on illegal drugs are not working, why not? ii. what might be done to improve policy and practice? 4 RSA_Drug_Report_Prelims_prf4:Layout 1 1/3/07 16:30 Page 5 Terms of Reference b. publish a report incorporating its answers in the form of recommendations c. enter into discussions with interested parties and current stakeholders, including the Government, on how its recommendations might be implemented. For these purposes, “illegal drugs” is taken to include benzodiazepines and glue and to exclude alcohol and tobacco. Operation of the Commission The commission has been established by the RSA as an independent body and is not expected to represent the views of the Trustees or staff of the RSA; nor can it be taken to do so. The commission has been established as an interdisciplinary and wholly impartial body, and is not expected to represent the views of any one political party or other body. The commission’s internal meetings will be confidential. Meetings held with an audience will be conducted under the Chatham House Rule: the proceedings may be reported, but no statement will be attributed to any individual without their express consent, nor reported if its authorship is obvious even if it remains unattributed. The commission’s research will be conducted ethically. All discussion of the ideas of others will be appropriately referenced. Anyone invited to take part in research undertaken by the commission will be offered confidentiality and anonymity. The RSA will provide the commission with the resources essential to carrying out its work. The RSA will provide the Secretariat of the Committee and take responsibility for: i. administrative coordination ii. financial support iii. commissioning the briefing papers or other research required by the commission iv. publishing or co-publishing the commission’s report v. implementing the plan for disseminating the commission’s recommendations. 5 RSA_Drug_Report_Prelims_prf4:Layout 1 1/3/07 16:30 Page 6 Drugs – facing facts The RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy Biographies Chair Anthony King has been Professor of Government at Essex since 1969 and has also taught at Princeton and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His books include SDP; The Birth, Life and Death of the Social Democratic Party (with Ivor Crewe), Running Scared: Why America’s Politicians Campaign Too Much and Govern Too Little and Does the United Kingdom Still Have a Constitution? (the 2000 Hamlyn Lectures). Professor King writes regularly for The Daily Telegraph and broadcasts frequently on politics and elections for the BBC. He served between 1994 and 1998 on the Committee on Standards in Public Life (the Nolan Committee, latterly the Neill Committee) and in 1999–2000 served on the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords. Project Champion Stephen O’Brien is Joint President of London First, whose mission is to engage business in promoting and improving London. From 1983–1992, he was Chief Executive of Business in the Community and he continues as Vice President. He is also, among other posts, Chairman of Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust, President of the University of East London Development Fund, a Trustee/Director of Teach First and Chair of International Health Partners (UK) Ltd. Prior to leading business involvement in community work, his business career culminated as Chairman of Charles Fulton Holdings and Chairman of the Foreign Exchange and Currency Deposit Brokers Association. Former community activity included Chairman and Co-founder of Project Fullemploy and Co-founder of Cranstoun, the drug rehabilitation charity. He was awarded the CBE in 1987. Members Susan Deacon has been MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh since the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and was Scotland’s first Minister for Health and Community Care following devolution. She established and is Co-Convenor of the Cross Party Group on Sexual Health and has served on a number of Parliamentary Committees. In her earlier career, Susan worked at a senior level in local government, management consultancy and in higher education. Susan has spoken and written widely on a range of public policy issues and has a particular interest in the management of change. 6 RSA_Drug_Report_Prelims_prf4:Layout 1 1/3/07 16:30 Page 7 Biographies John Dixon is Director of Adults’ Services for West Sussex County Council. He has been Director for nine years, and has over 30 years’ experience in the Probation Service and in Social Services. John has recently been elected Vice President of the new Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. He is the Association of Directors lead on drug and alcohol services. John’s background is in substance misuse services – his first social work job was with Cranstoun Projects as a residential worker. Philip Johnston has been the Home Affairs Editor of The Daily Telegraph since 1997. He started in journalism in 1981 as the Political Correspondent for Thomson Regional Newspapers. Between 1985 and 1988 he was the Political Correspondent for Today newspaper, before moving to become Political Correspondent on The Daily Telegraph in 1988.