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34 Medico-Legal J. 1 (1966)

handle is hein.journals/medlgjr34 and id is 1 raw text is: EDITORIAL DRUG ADDICTION THE second report of the Interdepartmental Committee on Drug Addiction under the chairmanship of Lord Brain gives occasion for concern. In its first report in 1961 the Brain Committee described the incidence of addiction in the United Kingdom as small. Four years later it is disclosed that the increase in the number of addicts is considerable and that most of these are young people, some in their teens. The Committee defines an addict as A person who, as the result of repeated adminis- tration, has become dependent upon a drug controlled under the Dangerous Drugs Act and has an overpowering desire for its continuance, but who does not require it for the relief of organic disease. Although there is no such thing as a registered addict, most are known to the Home Office through police inspections of pharmacists' registers, and by the visits of Regional Medical Officers of the Ministry of Health to doctors in practice. The number of known addicts rose from 454 to 753 between 1959 and 1964. The increase was virtually confined to heroin; where cocaine is used it is commonly in conjunction with heroin. The number of those introduced to drugs by medical treatment, and of doctors and nurses, is falling steadily. It is a surprising finding by the Committee that most of the heroin originates in prescriptions by doctors-from legitimate sources. The Committee states plainly that the major source of supply has been the activity of a very few doctors who have prescribed excessively for addicts-some amounts quoted are enormous, one doctor is said to have prescribed 6oo,ooo heroin tablets in a year. It is obvious that the recipients of such huge supplies are well able to pass on drugs to their companions. To remedy this state of affairs the Brain Committee suggests that all addicts should be compulsorily notifiable to a central authority, which would keep up-to-date records of relevant information. Any doctor who comes in contact with an addict would be obliged to notify, just as he must an infectious disease. If he were in doubt whether a given patient is addicted, expert consultation would be available. Treat- ment centres should be set up in appropriate areas; London immediately springs to mind as many addicts are found there. Only doctors on the staff of the special treatment centres should be allowed to prescribe restricted dangerous drugs for addicts and the penalties for practitioners prescribing outside such regulations would be severe. This would in no way interfere with those who wished to use dangerous drugs in treating their non-addicted patients. It is to be expected that no doctor on the staff of an addicts' treatment centre would supply regular quantities of hard drugs to registered addicts, prescription would be limited for short periods to those undergoing treatment. It is suggested that there should be power compulsorily to detain addicts during the distressing period of drug withdrawal. The Committee feels that the main problem lies in heroin and cocaine and, without comment, gives figures for manufacture and consumption of heroin in different countries. In 1963, 44 kg. were used in the United Kingdom, compared with 7 kg. in Belgium and 3 kg. in France. There is a body of medical opinion which holds that no harm would be done if these two hard drugs were abandoned altogether. ROAD SAFETY AND ALCOHOL IT is only in the past few years that it has been widely acknowledged that a very small amount of alcohol impairs driving skill without the driver being drunk in the usually accepted sense. Belloc's rolling English drunkard differs only in degree

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