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DRUG DEPENDENCY
The abuse of all drugs of dependence is expressly forbidden by law. Earlier
legislation had been strengthened in 1967 by the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1967, which
empowered the Secretary of State to make further regulations (under the Dangerous
Drugs Act, 1965) for preventing the improper use of drugs. The Dangerous Drugs
(Notification of Addicts) Regulations, 1968, require medical practitioners to notify
the Home Office of all new cases suspected of addiction to drugs. The Dangerous
Drugs (Supply to Addicts) Regulations, 1968, prohibit the administration of heroin
and cocaine to addicts except under Home Office licence. This has meant, in effect,
that the treatment of addicts has been centralised on hospital treatment centres since
1968.
Department of Health and Social Security Circular 7/69 was received in May
and drew attention to a report by the Advisory Committee on Drug Dependency on
"The Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts ". The Secretary of State asked Regional
Hospital Boards to keep local health authorities informed of the numbers of
in-patients and out-patients undergoing treatment for heroin addiction.
The Advisory Committee also commented on the need for suitable lodgings or
hostel care for patients who cannot suitably be discharged home after treatment.
Although the Health Department has no definite evidence pointing to drug
dependency being a major problem in this borough at present, information as to the
illicit use of addictive drugs is, of course, notoriously difficult to obtain and evaluate,
notwithstanding the more stringent regulations now in force and the vigilance of the
police.
ALCOHOLISM
The extent of alcoholism in the borough is not known and hostel provision
specifically for this purpose is not included in the Council's Ten-Year Plan. This
category of patient would not normally be admitted to the Council's "Windsmill"
hostel but one of the persons maintained by the Council in a voluntary home is so
placed for rehabilitation following hospital treatment for alcoholism.
(See Statistical Tables 23, 24 and 25)
HOME HELP SERVICE
Under Section 29 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, a local health
authority may make arrangements for providing domestic help for households where
such help is required owing to the presence of any person who is ill, lying-in, an
expectant mother, aged, or a child not over compulsory school age within the meaning
of the Education Act, 1944.
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