Sir, Your article outlining the perpetual difficulties facing the escalating levels of heroin smuggled into Britain accurately paints the rather grim picture of the drug situation in Britain today (May 16). However, in spite of current production and consumption levels, there are ways of dealing with the challenges heroin poses to our society.

In tackling rocketing consumption, a series of pragmatic approaches have been implemented across Europe. Programmes of substitution treatment, needle-exchange and targeted medical assistance provide drug users with a first step towards ending their dependence, but there is still much room for improvement on Britain’s part as a prime consumer. Such anti-addiction methods desperately need expanding.

When it comes to production, over 90 per cent of Britain’s heroin originates from Afghanistan, which accounted for 93 per cent of the global illegal opium market in 2007. Clearly, eliminating the problem at its source is an urgent necessity. The solution here lies in finding alternatives for Afghanistan’s three million poppy farmers. A village-based Poppy for Medicine model, in which Afghan farmers would be licensed to grow their opium and sell it as morphine, could help rural communities to end their dependence on the illegal opium market and diversify their economic activities. Producing affordable morphine would also address the 80 per cent of the world’s population currently lacking access to essential medicines.

A two-pronged approach that focuses on evidence-based treatment at home and fosters effective, supply-reduction policies abroad will eventually decrease the grasp heroin holds over British society.

Paul Burton
Director of Policy Analysis,
The Senlis Council, London WC1

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