LONG HAUL

Your report and editorial will have been encouraging to everybody concerned
to reverse the current trends. Hellawell's stronger emphasis on primary
prevention contrasts with the stronger law-enforcement focus in the United
States, but is consistent with a growing body of research and with the
views in the field. In his visit to our project he was generous in
discussing his ideas and his ambitious intention to develop a 10-year
strategy.

A nationwide focus on primary school drug education programmes is wholly to
be welcomed but although the prevalence of drug use is broadly consistent
in every part of the country, there is strong evidence that the kinds of
drugs and methods of drug use are subject to local variation. If the past
10 years are anything to go by, the patterns of drug use that the strategy
needs to tackle 10 years from now may be very different.

Dr Roger Paxton, Rory Allott, Rob Leonard Northumberland Drug
Education Project, St George's Hospital