Drug Discrimination Complaint to BBC News Online

Your news article - Police look to 'drug driving' tests -
at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3051659.stm says:
"About 200 people a year die because of drug driving.
Most of the casualties are caused by those using class A drugs like heroin and crack cocaine."

These statements are untrue, a result of discrimination and seriously mislead people into believing:

Dictionary definitions of the word 'drug' are used by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to include all drugs, with 'drug misuse' being defined as non-medicinal use of any drug - pharmaceutical, legal (e.g. alcohol & tobacco, steroids) or illegal. Illegal drugs are defined as 'controlled drugs'.
Home Office/DPAS guidance Let's Get Real - communicating with the public about drugs says
"we need to continue referring to alcohol, tobacco and caffeine as drugs".
[www.drugs.gov.uk/ReportsandPublications/DPASPublications/1033750738/1033751391.pdf]

As for the most dangerous drug for driving, the Department for Transport's Think: Drink Driving campaign says "In 2000 there were 520 drink-drive fatalities" [http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/drinkdrive/index.htm]

This is not a mere quibble over terminology. Drug discrimination is a huge problem. One in four adults are drug addicts; children are growing up to join a society where one in five are killed by drugs. Drugs cause between 120,000 and 150,000 deaths a year. And these problems only refer to the legal drugs alcohol and tobacco. The Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health's 1998 report says "Smoking is the most important cause of premature death in developed countries. It accounts for one fifth of deaths in the UK: some 120,000 deaths a year"
[www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/doh/tobacco/part-1.htm]

The Government receives revenue of £20 billion a year from the legal drug producer/dealers that they license. They know there is no evidence to support the view that illegal drugs are more harmful than legal drugs. By redefining drugs to mean illegal drugs they can justify claims that 'class A drugs are the most harmful', deflecting concern from legal drugs to illegal drugs. A press release stating that about 700 are killed each year through drug driving, 500 from alcohol, 100 from prescription drugs and 100 from illegal drugs would hardly support the Government's drug laws. Their 'Talk to Frank' campaign website, as well as mentioning that alcohol and tobacco are drugs, even says "Drugs are illegal" [http://www.talktofrank.com] !

Illegal drugs must be referred to as such or as 'controlled drugs'. I hope this can be issued as guidance throughout the BBC.

I appreciate your news article was probably based on information presented by the Government but this surely does not excuse the BBC from perpetuating untrue statements that not only discriminate against drug using minorities but also mislead the general public about the dangers of legal drugs.

 

 

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1