(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Professor Hamid Ghodse, president of the U's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), stressed that the three British cities were “trapped in a vicious cycle of social exclusion and drugs problems and fractured communities.”
Comparing the three cities to the drug cartels controlling large parts of Brazil and Mexico, Ghodse warned that celebrities “normalizing” drug use, and the rising gap between the rich and poor are the underlying reasons that fuelled the development of “no-go areas.”
He declared that the issue of these marginalized communities with drugs problems should be regarded by the authorities as a priority. He also called on the government to provide such communities with drug abuse prevention programs, treatment and rehabilitation services, and social equalities such as similar levels of educational, employment and entertaining opportunities.
"Youth of these communities must have similar chances to those in the wide society and have a right to be protected from drug abuse and drug dependence," Prof Ghods also said.
He urged the British administration to deal with the problem before the communities “reach their tipping point,” since the impacts of failure would be too high for society.
The INCB's annual report for 2011 revealed that constant social inequality, migration, looming cultures of excess and changes of traditional values were regarded as the main threats to the cohesion of the society.
While the gap between poor and rich grows, and "faced with a future with limited opportunities, individuals within these communities may increasingly become disengaged from the wider society and become involved in a range of personally and socially harmful behaviors, including drug abuse and drug dealing," the report read.
Political observers condemned the austerity measures imposed by the coalition government as the underlying cause of the rise in social problems, as many more people are now unemployed and have to live under the government’s false economic strategy.
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