The Tory proposal raises a serious issue. It sees thousands of people each year from all walks of life. Long-term, though, treatment won't work unless the person wants it to. Getting a person off drugs is one thing. Keeping them off is quite another.
Drugs are only part of an addict's problem.
Behaviour change happens in predictable stages, even for people on welfare. Addictions are more complex than that. But whatever it is, recovery is no quick cure. Patients range from professionals to the poor. There are about 13,500 welfare cases in the London and Middlesex area.