Choices for Policy and Practice (From Drugs and British Society: Responses to a Social Problem in the Eighties, P 170-204, 1989, Susanne MacGregor, ed. - See NCJ-124945)

• NCJ Number: 124956
• Author(s): S MacGregor
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 35 pages
• Sale Source: Routledge
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This analysis of changes in British drug policy and practice over time focuses on the three main models used and the current discussions about drug issues.

Abstract

The first phase of drug policy lasted through the 19th century and into the early 20th century. It was characterized by increasing controls on the sale of opium. The 1920 passage of the Dangerous Drugs Act and the Rolleston Committee established by the Ministry of Health in 1926 marked the beginning of the second phase and established what was known as the "British system," in which individual doctors were responsible for deciding how to treat each patient. The medical model of drug issues was replaced in the late 1960's with the reformist model, which focused on rehabilitation and was based on social learning theories. This model united doctors, social workers, and private-sector providers and emphasized the need for a change in lifestyle. However, it is not yet clear whether current discussions of drugs represent a modification of the third phase or the beginning of a distinctly different phase.