麻豆社

Many years ago a bright and aspiring student came to see me. I was aware he was doing well academically but he looked anxious, almost scared. He told me that a few days ago he鈥檇 been questioned by the police outside a nightclub where he and his friends had been caught with cocaine. He admitted it wasn鈥檛 the first time he鈥檇 taken a recreational drug, but it was the first time he鈥檇 been caught. He didn鈥檛 think it was fair- so many of his friends had got away with it but he might now end up with a police record. Most of all he was worried about telling his parents 鈥� he came from a good home and taking drugs wasn鈥檛 an act of rebellion or desperation- it was just something he did for fun, an experience to enhance his life.

As I listened, I wondered whether this would be a wake-up call for him; to stop before it was too late. True, not everyone becomes an addict and people of all ages and backgrounds can turn to drugs for different reasons. Growing up I had been shielded from any kind of drug culture. From an Islamic perspective, all addiction can be seen as severing our relationship with God causing forgetfulness rather than remembrance of God. Because remembering with patience and purpose isn鈥檛 simply an act of religious devotion but it helps develop not diminish the mind and body.

But with drug related violence on the rise, this week, the Prime Minister launched a new 10 year strategy, to deal with the personal, social and economic devastation caused by the drug supply chains. The approach of harsher punishments, tougher sentencing for dealers and increased investment in rehabilitation have long been debated and as a society we still need to learn much more. As part of his mission, he said, `Drugs are driving a lot of misery and we can fix it. They鈥檙e not going to make you happier.鈥�

Yet it鈥檚 precisely the allure of happiness or an escape, something better than the present reality which draws so many people to drugs. The drug industry doesn鈥檛 only feed off people鈥檚 suffering but also their basic desire for increased pleasure. Yet, the outcome is the same 鈥搃t鈥檚 a trap, the illusion of happiness. As the psychologist Frank Tallis said, 鈥淎t first, addiction is maintained by pleasure, but the intensity of the pleasure gradually diminishes and the addiction is then maintained by the avoidance of pain.鈥�

Yet, notwithstanding the social harms and criminality associated with drugs, a moral and just society must be one which not only focuses on punishing the criminals but offers support and hope to the victims.

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