Brighton is making a very revolutionary step in the fight against drugs and death due to use of illegal substances. It could become the first city in the country to offer safe, clean havens for addicts to use illegal drugs under professional supervision without fear of prosecution if the proposal moves forward. The research by the Independent Drugs Commission for Brighton, proposes providing consumption rooms – often referred to as shooting galleries – where people could use their own illegal drugs under the supervision of professional healthcare workers. It may sound counter-intuitive but this method has been successfully used in other countries such as Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Canada and Australia where the number of victims of drug decreased significantly. These countries established supervised healthcare facilities where drug users can use substances in safe and hygienic conditions. They aim to establish contact with difficult-to-reach users, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
According to Rob Jarrett, the chair of Brighton’s health board, “the stimulus is the health of the people to make sure they don’t kill themselves. Drug use is going to happen and it might as well be happening in a place that can be monitored”. Also Mike Trace, vice-chairman of the commission, made a statement about the issue telling BBC Radio 4′s Today: “We have said to the authorities in Brighton that you need to look at this because it’s something that could reduce drug-related deaths – which is an issue in the city – but also because it could take a lot of public drug use and drug markets off the street.”
The reason that led specifically Brighton to adopt such a revolutionary project was because the city had for many years the highest rates of registered drug deaths in the whole Great Britain. The commission said that more than 2,000 people are considered problem heroin and cocaine users and that more than 60,000 people in the city have used illegal drugs.
Critics however have suggested the policy would risk condoning illegal behaviour, will enable people to continue a poor lifestyle and places too much emphasis on harm reduction at the expense of care for users. The commission will ask the local council to launch a feasibility study, and Brighton’s health and wellbeing board, and the proposal will be discussed in summer 2013, when the final decisions will be made.
More than 90 drug consumption rooms have been set up worldwide, and this made the competence to seriously consider adopting the method of drug-use rooms. As Rob Jarrett, chairman of the city council’s adult care and health committee, said: ”Our primary concern is the health of the people to make sure they don’t kill themselves. I believe in Switzerland, where it has been tried, it has worked. Up until now we have had policies that have been based on emotional knee-jerk reactions that haven’t solved the problem at all.”
All that is left for us to see now is whether this proposal will be completed, and will become finally admitted. If yes, then Brighton, should win the bet with the scourge of drugs; to help as many users as possible to avoid death.
Sources: www.bbc.co.uk/news/
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