UK. SMMGP position on drug policy reform (Sep 2018)
UK. SMMGP position on drug policy reform (Sep 2018)
The statement below sets out our position on drug policy reform.
This week the Global Commission on Drug Policy published its latest report Regulation: The Responsible Regulation of Drugs. Also this week, the BMJ Opinion published a blog post on Why doctors should support regulated markets in illicit drugsdiscussing the Commission's report and stating that it is often underappreciated that risks attached to using drugs increase when it is produced, sold and consumed in an unregulated criminal environment.
There have for some for some time now been calls globally for reform including from the World Health Organisation[1], UNAIDS and many non-government organisations[2]. In 2016 the BMJ published an editorial entitled The War on Drugs has Failedwhich called on doctors to take a lead in drug policy reform[3]. (SMMGP - Supporting good practice in drug and alcohol treatment, UK, September 2018)