THE recent suggestion by Mike Barton, Durham’s Chief Constable, that Class A drugs should be legalised and provided to addicts via the NHS (Echo, Sept 30) is both irresponsible and takes absolutely no account of the enormous costs to the cashstrapped NHS budget. The support he has received from Ron Hogg, Durham’s Crime Commissioner, stands in stark contrast to the total lack of support from his colleagues in the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Currently, methadone supply to addicts costs the NHS up to £1bn a year, according to the Centre for Policy Studies.

Extending the supply of Class A drugs to addicts would add many more millions to that total, and in a time of increasing demand would naturally mean other services would suffer.

Perhaps the Chief Constable or Mr Hogg (who with his background at Durham Police should know better) could give their views on how this reckless suggestion would be financed and what other NHS services will have to be cut to fund it?

Paul McGrath, Middlesbrough.

AS an objective I support the Chief Constable of Durham, Mike Barton’s call for the decriminalisation of hard drugs for addicts. The trouble is how to achieve what he has in mind The taking of drugs is basically a health problem, one exploited by criminal gangs, and any change would have to involve the NHS which would have concerns about the practicality of what is proposed.

It involves the safe and secure dispensing of drugs, in controlled conditions, which would not be accepted by addicts unless they could be persuaded that it was for their benefit. The whole matter needs to be discussed with the NHS and with the clinical commissioning groups.

Criminal gangs would actively try to prevent the proposed scheme being a success.

Until a different approach is made to work, action against criminal networks needs to be pursued vigorously I can understand Vera Baird’s reserve at the present time.

G Bulmer, Billingham.

I THINK Mike Barton has a very valid point about the decriminalisation of Class A drugs.

I for one would welcome such a scheme if drugs were free but they aren’t.

How would addicts pay for their fix? Will they still need to steal or prostitute themselves to raise the money?

There are plenty of law abiding good citizens who cannot the drugs they need to keep themselves alive because the NHS can’t afford them.

I have met Mike Barton. He is a good man and police officer who has done an awful lot of good, especially for the kids, since being appointed chief but I fear the massive cost may be a hurdle too high.

Perhaps we should set up rehabilitation centres where people with a drug problem can do some work and give something back to society?

In return they will get the fix they require and follow a rehabilitation plan.

This will only work for users who want to get off drugs. I fear the majority are on drugs because they want to be and many only want to kick their habit when it’s killing them.

In my view, the Government needs to give more resources to stop drugs before they hit our shores instead of wasting billions on the HS2 high-speed trains project.

John Cumberland, Rushyford.