Dr. Garrett McGovern:

I do not think so because I do not think it has any impact on the prevalence of those people using drugs. Whether illegal or legal and regulated, people will still use drugs. The debate here has been a little dominated by cannabis, but we cannot forget other drugs. Drug problems and use is not just down to regulation; there is a whole cultural and socioeconomic aspect to this, which includes social marginalisation and deprivation. It is a complicated issue. I do not think for one minute that if the issue we are discussing was addressed tomorrow that would solve all of our problems. However, it would go some way to show that we are serious about a heath led approach to drug use.