Substance Abuse
This page is about drugs of all sorts, including alcohol and tobacco. In our view the issues surrounding them all are similar. It is a fact of life that, in the absence of a strong religious taboo, homo sapiens has recourse to mind altering drugs of one kind or another. Attempting to prohibit the use of such drugs stands as much chance of success as banning sex. Probably less chance. Driving these things underground is counter-productive.
Milton Friedman puts forward a compelling case for the legalization of drugs
The only rational response to this evident truth is to provide the requisite drugs within a regulated framework that assures an adequate supply and the purity of the drugs. This should take place within a taxation regime that generates funds to support comprehensive health education programmes aimed at discouraging drug use, and providing specific care and treatment when needed.
In the UK the NHS and local councils fund free access to residential detoxification and financially-supported access to rehabilitation.
There is a separate page about the pharmaceutical industry.
- Action on Smoking and Health
- Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
- Alcohol - BMJ
- Alcohol and drugs Home Office
- Alcohol Concern
- Alcohol Health Alliance UK
- Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England
- Alcohol labelling: Useful but…
- Alcohol Portal on Powerbase
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Alcoholism Anymous resources
- Back the Pub
- Beer prices across UK
- Benzodiazepine Addiction,Withdrawal & Recovery
- Better than reality - Clive James
- Are you a binge drinker? BMA Scotland highlights need for clearer information for consumers
- British Beer & Pub Association
- Can Legislation Prevent Debauchery? Mother Gin and Public Health in 18th-Century England
- Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
- Cannabis Law Reform/
- Cannabis Legal
- Cannabis warnings 'not working' 2009
- Classifying drugs: the Home Secretary and the David Nutt case
- Consultation on under-age sale of tobacco 2006
- Council bosses call for cheap alcohol ban
- Daily Dose of Drug and Alcohol News
- Department of Health resources
- Drugalert (Abuse of prescribed medication - US site)
- Drug Abuse (BMJ)
- Drug Misuse Information Scotland
- Drugs, alcohol and tobacco - Dept of Health
- Drugs and Health Alliance
- Drugs and the Law (The Runciman Report) 1999
- DrugScope
- Drugwatch - information about US prescribed drugs, their effects and side effects
- Evidence to the Health Committee enquiry into alcohol March 2009
- European Alcohol policy
- European Association for the Treatment of Addiction
- European Drugs policy
- European Public Health
- European Tobacco policy
- Federation of Drug & Alcohol Professionals
- Frank
- Harm reduction in nicotine addiction - report by the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians
- Health chiefs in booze price plea Scotland 2009
- High Society - Ben Elton
- Historic UK Beer Statistics
- Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report (1894)
- International Drug Policy: Animated video Report 2009
- Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol
- The Man that Waters the Workers' Beer
- Narcotics Anonymous
- National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse
- National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse a consultation document 2001
- New Year s eve binge drinking to cost NHS £23 million 2009
- Nudge theory and smoking cessation
- Patient UK
- Policy paper on minimum unit price of alcohol Consumer Focus Scotland 2009
- Psychology Library – Resources to Help With Addictions
- Public health: The fug of mixed messages 2011
- Pubs and Places - The social value of community pubs
- Reducing Alcohol Harm: Health services in England for alcohol misuse NAO 2008
- Reducing the harms of alcohol in the UK - BMJ 2007
- Release
- RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy
- Sacked adviser criticises Brown 2009
- Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH)
- Scottish alcohol plan at-a-glance
- Scottish Drugs Forum
- SHA response to smoking consultation 2005
- Smokefree
- Smokefree Action
- Smoking - BMJ
- Smoking Prevalence and Deprivation, a Comparison (mapped by wards)
- Sobriety and Recovery Resources
- Substance misuse - Department of Health
- Swedish Snus - European Union policy on smokeless tobacco
- The One Click Group - very hostile to the Pharmacy companies and vaccines in particular
- Tobacco - Department of Health
- UK Drug Policy Commission
- U-turn on cannabis highlights lack of logic in 'war on drugs'
- Urban 75 drugs guide
- Violence-related injury and the price of beer in England and Wales 2006
- Wine and Spirit Trade Association
- Working Together to Reduce Harm - The Substance Misuse Strategy for Wales 2008-2018
- World Health Organisation: Management of substance abuse
