“There's an extremely strong correlation between problematic substance use and histories of trauma and the North East is sadly a recipe for people to end up with those problems,” Danny Ahmed, a mental health nurse prescriber and psychotherapist specialising in substance misuse at Foundations Healthcare in Middlesbrough, tells The Teesside Lead.
“We see areas of huge deprivation, and we know that where there is deprivation there is likely to be trauma in people's lives. That combination leads people to try and find a solution—and that often is substance use.”
“The law is not working”
Despite the UK government’s ‘tough stance’ on drugs, evidence points to the fact that prohibition and the criminalisation of those who use drugs fails to bring the illegal supply of drugs under control.
In fact, driving it underground leads to an increase in organised crime, more violence in communities, higher potency drugs and the risk of contamination with more harmful, synthetic substances, according to Neil Woods, a former police officer and chair of the European arm of LEAP (Law Enforcement Action Partnership).
“I think if you were to ask the majority of police officers ‘does the War on Drugs have any benefit?’ The answer would be a resounding no,” says Woods.
But that doesn’t mean all police support reform.
“LEAP’s job is to advocate for evidence-based drug policies,” he continues.
“By which I mean, the evidence clearly suggests we should have legal, regulated control.”
Research suggests that cannabis social clubs are among the most effective forms of legislative reform, in terms of public health, harm-reduction and social equity. Something which Woods attests to.
“The social club model is the best option from a public health perspective,” he says.
“It protects young people by preventing their access, but also keeps it out of the shadows and also allows for an adult dialogue around consumption.”
He continues: “Another aspect of harm-reduction is that it reduces violence in our communities. Illegal cannabis grows are a real pain because they're not covered by health and safety, there's lots of abstracting electricity and there's also an extraordinary amount of violence which goes on which no one ever knows about.”
The criminalisation of those who use drugs can also cause significant harm to individuals and disproportionately affects those who are most vulnerable or marginalised in society, with Black people 12 times more likely to be prosecuted for cannabis possession, despite being less likely to use the drug.
“The blanket prohibition of substances has a huge impact,” says Ahmed.
“It stigmatises people who use drugs in a way that is extremely unhelpful. The people I work with are gradually getting more and more disenfranchised with society.”