Hard drugs to be Tories' top priority, UK

Main Category: Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy
Article Date: 07 Oct 2004 - 16:00 PDT

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UK - Shadow home secretary David Davis has promised to make the battle against hard drugs his top priority in a Conservative government.

Arguing that drugs "destroy lives, destroy society and render all our efforts to reduce crime worthless", Mr Davis said addicts would be given a stark choice - residential rehabilitation or prison.

He told the party conference in Bournemouth yesterday: "Some people say that we've lost the war on drugs. I say we haven't begun to fight it ... we will never give up on the war against crime and the war against drugs."

Mr Davis re-iterated a pledge to increase ten-fold the number of residential rehabilitation places and provide treatment for every young hard-drug addict in the country.

"Residential rehabilitation is no soft option," he insisted. "It will be under court supervision - and failure will mean prison ... The public is protected. The addict is encouraged to go straight - and stay straight."

The shadow home secretary said he would also "support, encourage and accelerate" the random drug testing of school pupils.

"Children need to know that it is not cool to use drugs: it's stupid, it's illegal, and it's dangerous," he said, warning: "If nothing is done we will face a drugs epidemic, with terrible effects on our whole society."
http://www.hda-online.org.uk

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