The UK tinkers around the edges of drug policy but it still needs national reform

BMJ ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. o52
Author(s):  
Ian Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Drug Policy ◽  
The Uk

Models of Hospital Drug Policy in the UK

1997 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 144-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhan M. Cotter ◽  
Martin McKee
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
Control Model ◽  
Combined Model ◽  
Medical Control ◽  
Drug And Therapeutics Committee ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Uk National Health Service ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Analytic Induction

Objectives: Pharmacists in UK National Health Service (NHS) hospitals have a long tradition of involvement in the development of drug policy. This paper describes various approaches that have been employed in the development and implementation of drug policy in hospitals and examines the evidence for their effectiveness and acceptability in the context of a changing health service. Methods: A series of focused interviews was conducted with a range of staff, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and managers at eight hospitals. Interview sites were selected on the basis of a national survey of clinical pharmacy roles and were broadly representative of UK NHS hospitals. Interview data were analysed using constant comparison and analytic induction. Results: Three models used in the development of drug policy were identified: A ‘traditional’ model, in which a drug and therapeutics committee establishes a hospital-wide formulary which is implemented by pharmacists; a ‘combined’ model, in which there is much more emphasis on tailoring policies and feedback to specialties or clinical directorates; and a ‘medical control’ model, in which prescribing decisions are made by individual doctors without reference to explicit policies and with little active pharmacy involvement. Pharmacy involvement was seen as vital to the development of effective policies but hospital-specific factors influenced the choice of model at particular sites. Conclusions: Hospitals may be moving towards the ‘combined’ model which could have advantages in the current internal market within the NHS. However, evaluations of the various approaches to drug policy should help inform this decision.

scholarly journals Drug policy reform – the opportunity presented by ‘legal highs'

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 249-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baroness Molly C. Meacher
Keyword(s):  
Drug Policy ◽  
Policy Reform ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Legal Highs ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Drug Policy Reform

SummaryCurrent UK policy on drugs does little to reduce the potential harms to young people using drugs and in some ways can exacerbate them. The dramatic increase in the number of new psychoactive substances available in the UK carries the risk of increasing those harms and demands a new approach to drug regulation. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform calls for an independent drugs classification body, the introduction of a new category for psychoactive substances whereby their supply can be regulated and a review of the government lead for drugs to ensure a health focus. The Group's proposal and supporting evidence are set out in full.

3 The emerging role of cannabis therapeutics in psychiatry

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. e2.1-e2
Author(s):  
H Valerie Curran
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Clinical Psychopharmacology ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Experimental Medicine ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Medical Treatments ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
The Uk

Val Curran is Director and Founder of the UCL Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit at UCL, Professor of Psychopharmacology, a founding member of the charity DrugScience, Research Lead at a London NHS Drug Service and an advisor to the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform. Her research focuses on the short- and long-term effects of drugs on our mood, thought processes, memory and the brain. Her research is funded mainly by the Medical Research Council. Val’s work spans drugs used in medical treatments, drugs used recreationally and some drugs (e.g. cannabinoids, ketamine, opiates) used in both contexts. Currently she is running several projects on cannabinoids including their differential effects on adolescents compared with adults; the use of cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment for cannabis addiction and other potential medical uses of cannabinoids. Val’s cannabis research formed the basis of the Channel 4 documentary: Drugs Live: Cannabis on Trial.Cannabis contains over 140 unique ‘cannabinoids’ and levels of these vary in different types of cannabis. Research to date has focussed on just two of these cannabinoids:Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). We have shown that this variation can influence the effects of cannabis and people’s vulnerability to experiencing mental health problems such as addiction and psychosis. On the opposite side of the coin, THC and CBD and their combination are emerging as potential treatments for some mental health problems. Cannabis based medicines can now be prescribed in the UK, although hardly any patients have yet received these treatments on the NHS. This talk will summarise relevant background research in experimental medicine before presenting new data from a recent RCT of the effects of different doses of CBD for treating cannabis use disorder. I will argue that research on cannabinoids is not only about the ‘cause or cure’ of mental health problems; critically, we should emphasise prevention as a key approach which will require politicians to take evidence-based decisions on UK drug policy.

A turning point for UK drug policy: opportunity or stasis

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-140
Author(s):  
Blaine Stothard
Keyword(s):  
Drug Policy ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Current Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy And Strategy ◽  
Treatment Provision ◽  
Clear Explanation ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the current policy stasis in UK drug policy. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines reports, statistics and policy statements by government agencies. Findings Delays in revising a national strategy appear to have no clear explanation. Responses to drugs issues, including drug-related deaths, appear to lack urgency or concern at a policy making level. Research limitations/implications Complacency and lack of regard to evidence appear to inform current policy and strategy. Ways of overcoming this stasis are not identified. Practical implications There is a need for factors leading to reform and change to be identified and implemented, by government and others. Social implications The situations and needs of drug users do not appear as a government priority. Continued reductions in public spending – austerity – are reducing treatment provision. Originality/value The paper attempts to identify factors which inhibit policy reform in the UK so that future reform becomes more realistic.

It's time for the UK government to fully review drug policy

BMJ ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 343 (aug17 2) ◽  
pp. d5235-d5235 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Hoyle
Keyword(s):  
Drug Policy ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk
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