How Britain lost its war on drugs

As a general gppractitioner () in a deprived inner-city neighbourhood of Birmingham, Judith Yates had a close-up view of the evolution of Britain’s illegal drugs market. In the 1980s some of her poorest patients became addicted to Afghan heroin as it flooded the market. In the 1990s they made crack pipes from Coca-Cola cans and asthma inhalers. Some recovered. Others went in and out of prison, where they often became addicted to other drugs. Several died.In 2010, frustrated by how little ground the government was making in its war on drugs, Dr Yates started visiting the local coroner’s office to collect information on drug deaths. “I wanted to look for patterns, see if we could prevent people dying,” she said. What she found alarmed her. Drug deaths were increasing every year. And opioids were playing a big role.