Illegal Drugs - Heroin Addiction

I thought I would do a piece on drugs seen as though that is one of the subjects that we will be covering in this module.

Drugs cost the British Taxpayer millions a year through shoplifting, prison stays, as well as the more personal costs that burglary or mugging may bring to you. Drugs are readily available in every town and city, and drug dealers do not care who they sell to either. Walking into shops you see a security guard whizzing past you chasing after a shoplifter who is more than likely stealing to fund their habit. Burglaries are also generally committed by an addict wanting goods or valuables to sell on for their next fix. There is no getting away from it, drugs are everywhere, and will never be stamped out completely.

The Home Office say that they will come down on drug dealers and any addict caught in possession of illegal drugs really hard with tougher sentencing. RUBBISH! How can they with prison overcrowding being as it is? Generally, addicts get away with a short prison spell or a caution. Most get a fine, which they then go out to steal to pay off!

Some people are past help and do not want to be helped. Some have been addicted for so long that they cannot see a way back. No amount of prison sentencing or rehab or methadone will get some to stay clean. There is help available to anybody that wants it, through GP's. That is not the issue as you can only do so much for actual addicts. I'm wanting to know what we can do for the younger generation where peer pressure gets greater by the day and children look for new ways to push the boundaries further and further

The best way to prevent drug abuse from a young age is to educate the young against the dangers. I don't just mean the feeble "So no to drugs " campaign that is outdated and has been recycled over the years. Tougher, hard line education is required in schools to really get through to kids. I would be more than happy for my daughter to receive drug education at school, with shock tactics included. I have enclosed a link to the story about 21 year old Rachel Whitear, who died of a heroin overdose in 2002. The fantastic thing about this story is it has been personalised and is more likely to strike a chord with people. Her very courageous parents have allowed the publication of pictures of their daughters body to be printed for all to see, and whats more, they are allowing the pictures to be used as drug education in schools. What a fantastic idea. Most have an image of a druggie in their mind, but now this has been personalised. This is a young girl who was very young and not the stereotypical image of a druggie. If this picture reaches just one young person then it has been worth it.

What is your stance on drugs?

The following link takes you to a story written from the perspective of a heroin addict.
http://www.blacktable.com/lang041104.htm

The following link takes you to the news story published shortly after 21 year old Rachel Whitear's death in 2002. This was as a result of heroin overdose.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/1848092.stm