Drink and drug abuse are to be tackled head-on

We have to cut the cost of drink and drugs in our county

One of the county council's main priorities this year is to tackle the appalling toll caused by alcohol and drug abuse in Staffordshire.

An outstanding piece of research commissioned by this authority was completed shortly before Christmas. It concluded that the staggering price of substance abuse in Staffordshire alone is £550 million per year.

This takes into account the cost to our health services, social services, crime committed by drunken drinkers or those desperate to feed a drugs habit, the cost to employers of worker absence and a range of other factors.

And this is only the financial cost. How do you quantify the appalling human misery suffered by people gripped by drug or drink dependency, their families and those innocent members of our society who unintentionally cross their paths and suffer as a consequence?

The impact on children is another factor we must tackle. We believe around 4,500 Staffordshire children live with a parent with a drug problem. There are also 170 youngsters on the Child Protection Register because a parent has a drink problem, and over 100 on the register because of parental drug taking.

But this isn't a problem Staffordshire County Council can tackle alone. That is why we're organising a summit that will be held later in the spring. We will involve a wide range of agencies, including health, the police, the voluntary sector and others. We are also hoping a government minister will attend.

We are planning to team up with a university to commission research into the lives of people with drug and alcohol problems. And for anyone who thinks this is a waste of public resources, this is one fact we do already know - every £1 spent on alcohol treatment saves the taxpayer £5!

The research document, Substance Misuse in Staffordshire, is in-depth and detailed, but I would urge anyone who has concerns about these issues to take a look. It can be found on the county council website at:

www.staffordshire.gov.uk/health/public

Page Last Modified: 01/02/2008 12:18:49

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