Heroin addiction and drug policy: the British system.

An overview of British drug policy set in the context of international activities, with contributions from key figures in the field, covering both historical and contemporary aspects of the evolving "British System".

Abstract

Part I: The problem The early years of the System in practice Drug trends since 1968 Flexible hierarchies and dynamic disorder - the trading and distribution of illicit heroin in Britain and Europe, 1970-90 Drugs and adolescence Use of public health indicators of the extent and nature of drug problems during the 1970s and 1980s Women drug misusers: a case for special consideration The arrival of HIV Local and regional variations in drug misuse: the British heroin epidemic of the 1980s Chasing the dragon: the development of heroin smoking in the United Kingdom Use of illegal drugs in Northern Ireland Part II: Clinical response The fall and rise of the general practitioner The creation of the clinics: clinical demand and the formation of policy Drug clinics in the 1970s Prescribing heroin and other injectable drugs The introduction of community drug teams across the UK The development of the Voluntary Sector: no further need for pioneers? The power behind the practice: drug control and harm minimization in inter-agency and criminal law contexts Changes in therapeutic communities in the UK Narcotics Anonymous (NA) in Britain Minimizing harm from drug use Part III: Other responses Promoting new services: the Central Funding Initiative and other mechanisms Notification and the Home Office The growth of information. The development of Britain's national Drug Misuse Information Resource Media- and school-based approaches to drug education HIV and drugs services - the challenge of change The relationship between the State and local practice in the development of national policy on drugs The System: visionary anticipation or masterly inactivity?.