But it requires political guts. What is clear is that enforcement alone will not work, and as a result funds need to be spread more equally between law and order on the one hand and treatment and support on the other. Policing, particularly of heroin importing, is necessary, but the notion that Customs and the police will kill the menace is ridiculous. The demon, you see, is in ourselves, as much as the murky world of dealing. And this is probably the most critical and difficult lesson.
Damaged children are fodder for drug dealers.
This does not mean they are blameless. But it does mean that, to get better, they have to feel better about themselves. Counselling and therapy, then, are as central as pharmaceuticals and punishment. This is beginning to be recognised in prisons, where psychologists are now working alongside jailers. But not nearly enough to make a real difference.