BMA highlights need for health focus in drugs policy

The British Medical Association (BMA) has called on the government to amend its drugs policy to give greater consideration to healthcare issues.

A report from the organisation has observed that individuals who are addicted to illegal drugs suffer from a medical condition, which needs to be treated like any other illness, rather than the current focus on criminal justice.

Due to the present mode of thinking and the associated fear of punishment, drug users are unwilling to approach drug services, contact paramedics in emergency situations or provide accurate information to health professionals.

The BMA believes this is contributing to the lack of any significant improvements in rates of long-term problem drug use and drug-related deaths.

Professor Averil Mansfield, chairman of the BMA's board of science, said: "The BMA believes that drug users are patients first. That’s why we want health to be at the heart of the debate about drugs policy."

Figures from the 2009/10 British Crime Survey showed that 8.6 percent of 16 to 59-year-olds living in England and Wales tried illegal drugs during the year, with cannabis, powder cocaine and ecstasy being the most commonly abused substances.