ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on selected policy issues which are important in the understanding of the larger context of alcohol and drugs. Despite the long-standing political prominence of the problem, relatively coherent strategies and substantial investment, the United Kingdom remains at the top of the European ladder with the highest level of dependent and recreational drug use (UKDCP 2007). Since the 1990s, the UK government has responded to high-profile alcohol and drug problems with various policies and initiatives in dealing with this public health problem. At international level, various conventions have attempted to control the manufacturing, distribution and use of psychoactive substances. The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961, 1972) placed strict controls on the cultivation of opium poppy, coca bush and cannabis plants. The Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971) widened the international drug control system to cover stimulants, hypnosedatives and hallucinogens. The 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances covers areas of drug-trafficking activities including money laundering. In the UK, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 continued a process of increasing legal control of psychoactive substances.