UK's drug problems rival those in Brazil and Mexico, claims narcotics expert

Professor Hamid Ghodse, president of the UN's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), said there is a "vicious cycle of social exclusion and drugs problems and fractured communities" in cities across the world.

''Examples are in Brazil, Mexico and the United States, as well as in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester in the UK. It is no good to have only law enforcement, which always shows it does not succeed,'' he said at the launch of the annual INCB report.

Besides drug prevention and treatment programmes, people in blighted areas need to have access to the same levels of educational, employment and recreational opportunities as in the wider society, he added.

Other suggested initiatives include promoting positive role models for young people and community policing.

''The youth of these communities must have similar chances to those in the wider society and have a right to be protected from drug abuse and drug dependence,'' Ghodse said.

''It is crucial that the needs of communities experiencing social disintegration are urgently tackled before the tipping point is reached, beyond which effective action becomes impossible.

''The consequences of failure are too high for society and should be avoided at all cost.''

The INCB's annual report for 2011 states that helping marginalised communities experiencing drug problems must be a priority.