A new strategy is needed to address the harms related to cocaine and other drugs | Letters
Dr Will Haydock calls for a new govrnment plan with clear priorities, while a reader in Ecuador points to the devastating impact of UK cocaine use thereThe reports published as...
By Guardian Staff · The Guardian Opinion
Dr Will Haydock calls for a new govrnment plan with clear priorities, while a reader in Ecuador points to the devastating impact of UK cocaine use there The reports published as part of your investigation into cocaine lay bare the widespread harms linked to the drug that people are experiencing ( Cocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surges, 25 October ; ‘He was like 10 men after taking cocaine‘: how Britain’s drug habit is fuelling domestic abuse, 26 October ). Similar concerns can be identified in relation to other drugs – including alcohol – and the situation could not be more urgent. Deaths related to drug use have been rising for over a decade to unprecedented levels , and the emergence of synthetic opioids in the UK has prompted the National Crime Agency to warn that “ there has never been a more dangerous time to take drugs ”. The latest figures on drug-related deaths will be published on 4 November , and are likely to confirm a stubbornly shocking and tragic level of harm. Continue reading...