Express & Star comment: Get drug dealers off the streets
The dreadful toll that drug abuse is taking on the region is laid bare in new figures released today.
In Wolverhampton the number of people who have died as a result of illegal drugs has doubled over the last decade, and a similarly bleak picture can be seen elsewhere across the Black Country.
But looking beyond the statistics, it is particularly worrying that former so-called ‘legal highs’ such as Black Mamba are as prevalent as ever on our streets.
Of course, traditional hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine still pose major problems, particularly when it comes to fuelling the through-the-roof crime rate in the West Midlands.
However, drug users have told the Express & Star that Black Mamba, which was outlawed two years ago, is still readily available.
The difference now is that addicts are buying the drug from dealers in unmarked bags, rather than paying for branded drugs over the counter.
It is unlikely that this was the scenario that lawmakers envisaged when this legislation was pushed through.
Walk through any major town or city now and the evidence of this drug’s use is there for all too see.
Banning it has forced it underground, and with that comes a new set of health risks to users.
One of the key issues was always that many of the chemicals in these drugs were extremely dangerous and not regulated.
That danger has now been exacerbated by the drug being placed in the hands of unscrupulous dealers.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, who has proposed some controversial measures in a bid to curb drug abuse, was right when he said that the current systems are not working.
Not only is drug abuse killing people, it is also a major factor in criminal activity.
As a country, we need to take a stiffer line with those involved with drugs, not least to protect them from themselves.
And as far as the dealers are concerned, the courts must be given the powers to throw the book at them.
Drug dealers are a scourge of modern society, bringing misery to our streets and tearing families apart.
It is time for Theresa May and her shaky administration to take a far tougher stance.
