Former UK Drug Czar Slams Treatment of Addicts in Prison

Drug rehab for prisoners in the United Kingdom has been “undermined” by government in-fighting, said the former British drugs tzar. Mike Trace, who oversaw the government’s drug policies during the administration of Tony Blair, told the BBC News during an interview that the Department of Health was relying too heavy on methadone treatments instead of other, non-medicinal ways to curb the drug addiction of the nation’s prison population.

"When they (inmates) see the healthcare professionals they are offered,” Trace said, “sometimes the only choice they are offered, is a prescription of some type, which means their motivation to try to remain drug-free can be undermined. We see that regularly on a week-by-week basis."

Trace is now part of a charity that advocates against the use of methadone and other drug-related treatments and for bringing the types of treatment typically found in a drug rehab center to prisoners in the UK.