ABSTRACT
If there is a general sense of gloom surrounding the drug problem in Britain, that view is misplaced. There is nothing inevitable about the current level of substance abuse, dire though it may be; we do not have to live with high levels, any more than we have to live with high crime rates. There are a number of things we can do but most require changes in the way we do things, and change is not always welcome. Resistance can come from the unlikeliest quarters. For example, American judges in drug courts often say they do not believe British judges and magistrates will adopt the necessary procedural changes required to introduce drug courts in the UK. They could turn out to be wrong, as the Scottish and Irish examples may to some extent prove. Resistance to change may come from other quarters such as those involved in treatment who, on the face of it, would be expected to support greater measures of treatment for offenders. Or, that partnerships will be unwelcome because some criminal justice organisations are reluctant to set aside their ideological differences. Change means more than making adjustments to new ideas, it means accepting changes in status and influence.
