Drug Policies In England and Their Effects on Drug Use in Society

In 1964 the medical treatment of dependent drug users was separated from punishment unregulated use and supply. Under this policy drug use remained at an all time low; there was relatively little recreational use and very few dependent users, who were prescribed drugs by their doctors as a part of their treatment.

From 1964 drug use was decreasingly criminalized, with the framework still in place as of 2014 largely determined by the misuse of the drugs act. Until 1916 drug use was hardly controlled, and opium was widely available and coca preparations commonplace. Between 1916 and 1928 concerns about the use of these drugs by troops on leave from the first world war. The distribution and use morphine and cocaine, and later cannabis, were criminalized but they were still available to addicts through their doctors.

Opium was a very common, poisonous, and popular painkiller in the early 19th century. British colonizers used both and illicit opium production as a chief source of revenue in India. For the Dutch, British, and Portuguese traders opium was a means to pacify and carve up China, which could impact the social and economic well being of the country including reputation overseas. Governments organized a crime strategy and had found out that drug trafficking to the U.K. costs about E10.7 billion each year. It was estimated that about 25-30 tons of cocaine is imported to the U.K. every year, while the NCA managed to seize 213 tons of illegal drugs (4.5 tons of heroin, 16.3 tons of opium, and 123.1 tons of cannabis).

Class A drugs include crack cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, magic mushrooms, and crystal meth, if you are caught with them in your possession you could get up to 7 years in prison and an unlimited fine. Class B drugs include cannabis, codeine, ketamine, and amphetamines, for possession of these narcotics you could get maximum of 5 years or an unlimited fine. Class C drugs are anabolic steroids, GHB, GBC, BZP, and diazepam, when you get caught with these class C drugs you get 2 years in prison (except for anabolic steroids). Last are the temporary class drugs which are 3,4-DCMP, HDMP-28, IPP, and IPPD which can get you life in prison for possession of these drugs.

If you are caught supplying or producing any of these narcotics you get life in prison or an unlimited fine. The main hub ports used to transport narcotics are the Antwerp and Rotterdam, and they use yachts, general cargo vessels, and air carriers. The most significant way is to put bulk amounts in maritime container ships that arrive in the European hub ports. Some routes that drug cartels use go through South America, Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela, Atlantic Ocean, Spain, but The Balkans is the most important nexus to the crime groups utilizing long established trafficking routes. Crime groups in key European countries like Spain and The Netherlands help set up this trade, while Afghanistan and Central Asia are the primarily suppliers of the Russian heroin market, and it was trafficked through Pakistan to the U.K. While Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador are the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.K. while Peru, and Bolivia supply the rest.

Young people between the age of 11-15 years old say they have never taken drugs, but the likelihood of pupils ever taking drugs increase with age, from 11% of 11 year olds to 37% of 15 year olds. It was estimated that about 580,000 secondary school aged pupils in England (18%) took at least one drug last year, but excluding nitrous oxide and any other new substances this figure would drop to about 15%. 8% of secondary pupils said they took the drug cannabis last year ( 14% of them were in between the ages of 16 to 19 years old), and it is the most widely used illegal narcotic in the world. Using this narcotic causes you to be paranoid around the environment you are in and makes you be forgetful or anxious.

The use of class A drugs like heroin and cocaine are very uncommon, but cocaine can make you get addicted and dependent on the drug which can cause you to do violent crimes to get your hands on even the smallest amount of the narcotic. Last year only 4% of pupils had said they took nitrous oxide and 2% used NPS. Heroin is a very addictive an dangerous drug, you can overdose on it and either fall into a coma or you could die. GBC is considered a party drug and can be fatal when taken with huge amounts of alcohol, and also like amphetamines taking it for a long term can cause you to feel either depressed or paranoid.

In conclusion, government policies have only limited impact on rates of drug use itself. However policies are highly relevant because they can have significant impacts on the levels of drug-related harm. There is now a great deal of international research showing significant reduction in lifetime drug use among drug users who receive treatment and substantial reductions in both crime and health risk behaviours, especially during the treatment episode.

Harm reduction initiatives, notably needle exchange and opiate substitution, reduce HIV risk behaviours – to the benefit of both individuals and society. Some research shows that particular kinds of enforcement can reduce the openness and disorder around the distribution of drugs, an important source of harms. And some research (although not from the UK) supports Policy and research issues 83 the claim that well-designed and well-implemented prevention programmes can be cost-effective, even if they only moderately lower initiation rates. The research suggests that the greatest reductions in drug-related harm have come from investment in treatment and harm reduction. However, the bulk of expenditure on drug policy in the UK is still devoted to the enforcement of drug laws.