Other issues are the lack of methadone maintenance programmes in the prisons, the lack of success by the police in catching the big dealers, and the desperate social and economic conditions in the communities which cause the drug addiction in the first place. Unlike the community response in the 1980s, there has been little enthusiasm for a return to the tactics of the Concerned Parents Against Drugs. CPAD had taken a direct action approach to dealers and those suspected of dealing, and forced them out of the communities. Although some people within the campaign do still favour this approach, most don't because of the totally changed situation on the ground now. Now most families involved in the campaign have a close relative who is an addict, they may even have a close relative who has died at a young age from a drug related illness.
Many addicts are also small time dealers in order to support their habit.
The drug problem is so closely intertwined with the fabric of the community now ,especially in the inner city areas, that it is no longer possible or desirable to adopt the tactics of CPAD because people would be targeting members of their own families. Another reason is that there is now a clearer realisation that there is nothing to be gained by just pushing the problem and the addicts from one area to another. There are other issues to be tackled too, such as the fact that methadone itself is highly addictive and some experts argue that it is better to prescribe heroin. The whole issue of legalisation and decriminalisation of hard and soft drugs is also up for debate. Resistance from communities to drug treatment clinics in their areas also has to be tackled head on.