Crime at top of hierarchy of harms
The strategy identifies its objective as ‘reducing the harm that drugs cause’, but its view of harm is a hierarchical one, with the harms cause by crime coming at the top.
The strategy is cast first and foremost as a campaign against crime. It acknowledges the health damage and the misery endured by people who have problems with drugs but, both implicitly and explicitly, it treats these as being of less importance than the damage done to others by drug-related crimes and other anti-social behaviour.

The strategy identifies its objective as ‘reducing the harm that drugs cause’, but its view of harm is a hierarchical one, with the harms cause by crime coming at the top. The overall ethos of the current drugs strategy is one of law enforcement and crime prevention rather than one concerned at least as much with education, public health, the health of individuals, social support and social cohesion.
Immediately related elementsHow this works
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Drugs Policy in the UK »Drugs Policy in the UK
What drugs policy measures are open to the UK? »What drugs policy measures are open to the UK?
Maintain current drugs policy »Maintain current drugs policy
Current drugs policy has merit »Current drugs policy has merit
Acknowledges need to minimise harm »Acknowledges need to minimise harm
Crime at top of hierarchy of harms
Drugs Intervention Programme exemplifies »Drugs Intervention Programme exemplifies
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