NEW PRISON AND ADDICTION POLICY UNIT

'PandA' pulls no punches.

The Centre for Policy Studies has established a specialist Prison and Addiction Unit to “challenge the government’s fundamentally flawed drug policy”.

‘Panda’ will scrutinise this rapidly expanding but largely unmonitored area of government intervention. It will advocate restricting the supply of drugs, and increasing effective treatment to help people suffering from addiction to make a full recovery. “Neither of these aims are being achieved by current government policy, despite claims to the contrary,” it asserts.

"Nothing short of a revolution in drug-abuse treatment in the UK is required. This must recognise the unparalleled harms of illegal drug use and addiction and must focus first and foremost on getting addicts off drugs,” explained Panda member Professor Neil Mckeganey, professor of drug misuse research at the University of Glasgow.

“Rehabilitation is the treatment of last, not first, resort and only then when the addict, rather than the system, is seen to have irredeemably failed – by which time the destructive impact of his or her dependency is likely to have had far-reaching and negative consequences,” stated Panda chair Kathy Gyngell.

For her full statement, click here.

RESEARCH FOCUS.

Panda will study drugs and alcohol supply, treatment policy, prevention and education in the UK. Key themes include:

• centralisation of the management of treatment and why it is wrong
• the new prisons ‘integrated drugs treatment strategy’ and its dangers
• the effective, as opposed to ineffective , treatment of addiction
• the liberalisation of the control of supply of drugs and alcohol and its damaging consequences
• the national ‘harm reduction’ drugs education programme and its implications and consequences
• what a prevention policy could look like.

PANDA MEMBERSHIP:
Kathy Gyngell, chair
Mary Brett, drugs education consultant, UK representative Eurad
Chris Cook, professorial research fellow, Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University, formerly professor of the psychiatry of alcohol misuse , University of Kent
Huseyin Djemil, former London Area drugs strategy coordinator, HM Prison Service, consultant – Drug Strategy, Operations and Research
Andy Horwood, former Drugs Action Team coordinator for Bedfordshire and Luton
Neil McKeganey, professor of drug misuse research, University of Glasgow
David Partington, general secretary, International Substance Abuse and Addiction Centre/ISAAC.
All members serve in a personal capacity. The views expressed in its publications and announcements are the sole responsibility of the authors. Contributions are chosen for their value in informing public debate and should not be taken as representing a corporate view of the CPS or of PandA.

The Centre for Policy Studies is at:
57 Tufton Street, London SW1P 3QL
Tel: 020 7222 4488