Impacts and facilities vary locally
As the impact and treatment of drug use vary widely at the local level, it is at the local level that local needs should be identified and local priorities set.
Communities are where the impact of drug use is felt. They are where users and dealers live, where drug markets and treatment facilities alike operate and where social housing is or is not provided. They are the natural focus for work with drug users and with their families, for harm reduction measures such as needle exchanges, the serving of Drug Rehabilitation Requirements and other community sentences and the provision of employment and training schemes. It is at this local level that local needs should be identified and local priorities set.