Comments on: Andrew Hickey on drugs: half right http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2009/11/02/andrew-hickey-on-drugs-half-right/ “ferocity with a purpose” Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:30:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Andrew Hickey http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2009/11/02/andrew-hickey-on-drugs-half-right/comment-page-1/#comment-216613 Andrew Hickey Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:30:31 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/?p=2835#comment-216613 Oh, I absolutely agree, which is why I said "It should have a bearing on peripheral policy matters – for example taxing drugs for the increased burden they cause to the NHS, or whether drugs should be allowed to be sold in doses large enough to be used as a poison (in much the same way we limit the amount of paracetamol that can be sold), or whether warning labels need to be placed on the packaging to ensure people using them have full information. " Those things (and the ones you mention like driving under the influence) are areas where scientific advice has a part to play, and I'd agree that it also has a part to play in talking about addiction - I'm all in favour of giving addicts as much treatment as they can have. I just thought a lot of people were in danger of conceding a lot of ground to our opponents by letting them set the terms of the debate - everyone seemed to be accepting that it is OK for government to ban things if scientific advice says it's naughty enough. Oh, I absolutely agree, which is why I said “It should have a bearing on peripheral policy matters – for example taxing drugs for the increased burden they cause to the NHS, or whether drugs should be allowed to be sold in doses large enough to be used as a poison (in much the same way we limit the amount of paracetamol that can be sold), or whether warning labels need to be placed on the packaging to ensure people using them have full information. ”

Those things (and the ones you mention like driving under the influence) are areas where scientific advice has a part to play, and I’d agree that it also has a part to play in talking about addiction – I’m all in favour of giving addicts as much treatment as they can have.

I just thought a lot of people were in danger of conceding a lot of ground to our opponents by letting them set the terms of the debate – everyone seemed to be accepting that it is OK for government to ban things if scientific advice says it’s naughty enough.

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