Anti-drugs Minister Bob Ainsworth told delegates, including top police officers, at the first national conference on crack that community support is vital if the problem is to be tackled.

Latest figures indicate that use of crack cocaine is particularly on the increase among black communities and 16 to 24-year-olds.

The substance poses a bigger danger than many other drugs because it has more links with crime than ecstasy and more connections with violence than heroin.

Is crack cocaine abuse out of control? What role can communities provide in the fight against drugs?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

Your reaction

The fight against drugs is lost. Legalise all drugs with controlled sales for softer ones through pharmacies, prescriptions with treatment for harder ones and leave the police a lot more time to chase the godfathers of this misery.
Pete, UK

As a former NYC paramedic who regularly treated crack addicts in Brooklyn during the late 80's, and early 90's, I can only give you my perspective. Yes, better enforcement certainly helped to stem the tide of crack overdoses we saw on a daily basis. That said, as crack seemed to be on the wane, we began to notice a rise in older drugs, especially heroin. It became very apparent that while one scourge was going away, and older, more dangerous one was coming back into fashion. Better policing is never a bad idea, but just as important is treatment and prevention. They all must work together.
David, USA

Dispossessed and ripped-off sectors of society will always turn to drugs and crime Vinnie Clark, UK

Let's face the fact that the Britain is a thoroughly hacked off country. It is over-taxed over-worked and under-paid. The British working class is one of the most dispossessed groups in western Europe and unless these underlying factors are addressed and some real social justice is brought into the system in this country all the drug epidemics and related problems will be here to stay. It's time for the working classes to take our heads out of the sand and demand a fair deal instead of the routine fleecing that is so ingrained it's hardly noticed. Dispossessed and ripped-off sectors of society will always turn to drugs and crime.
Vinnie Clark, UK

Am I being unimaginative or is it really that hard to stay off drugs that you know are potentially lethal? Who are these losers and why don't they get a life? I've lost sympathy
Sarah, UK

The cheapest way to address the crack cocaine problem is also by far the most effective. Leave it to the Cubans, once again. There is simply no cocaine in Cuba. Zero. This is because all of the major street corners have a policeman with a dog trained to sniff cocaine. The effect it has had on Cuban society has been incredible.

The streets and parks are full of grandmothers and young children late at night, because they have no fear of violent crime perpetrated by cocaine fiends. We speak of living in a "free" society, yet none of our women have the freedom to be in the streets alone at night in our cities. We need anti-cocaine canine patrols immediately. The transformation which they will bring to our society is truly beautiful and astonishing.
Matthew Dubuque, USA and Cuba

The serious crime associated with crack is now a separate issue. I have been in rough areas of London such as Kings Cross, Camden, etc. and seen crack pimps running blatantly under-age girls as prostitutes, not to mention the muggings and burglaries. If I and my friends have seen this, don't tell me it has escaped the notice of the police. If conventional policing cannot sort this out, we need some sort of new police special forces to go into these areas and start playing hardball with these criminals. Openly under-age prostitution and crack dealing being flaunted in the street? It is surely time to stop talking at conferences and strike back.
George, UK

It's quite obvious that the current policy of banning all drugs does not work. Surely this must have been proven by now all over the world. However, something needs to be done, and the way I see it legalisation is the only alternative that hasn't been tried. This in its own right might not be a valid argument for legalisation, I agree, but to blindly believe that tougher laws, more police on the beat and tighter customs will help is truly utopia. The link between soft and hard drugs is quite ludicrous. I don't hear any arguments that alcohol and tobacco are gateways into harder drugs. Most people I know that smokes marijuana wouldn't consider using crack cocaine even if you got it for free.
Marcus, UK

Ninety-nine percent of us are not drug addicts, or crack heads and the vast majority of us don't know any, what we do know or suspect is that the policy of pouring more money into the current policies is futile. It's time to change tack and accept that cheapest and most successful method to manage drug addicts is to revert to registering them and supplying them daily with maintenance levels of their chosen poison. The advantage of this is not only cost savings but massive reductions in burglary, shoplifting, mugging and a host of other petty crimes with the added bonus of reducing "organised crimes" power.
Vincent, England

I have seen first hand how crack cocaine has destroyed my community and other African American communities all across America. Please learn from our mistake and don't allow it to destroy your communities as well.
Don, New York, USA

Clearly drugs are harmful, but in thinking about how best to deal with them, we are ignoring obvious lessons from both history (the experience of prohibition in the US in the 20s) and from economics. Drug dealers make such large profits because through the use of violence they can create local monopolies. This enables them to engage in aggressive forms of marketing, (free drugs to get people hooked and if they attempt to give up). Remove the ability of drug dealers to make huge profits and you remove their incentive to sell them. How do we achieve this? Regulated state supply.
Derry, England

There is a significant problem, but it is magnified and exaggerated by tabloid newspaper reporting of it. Crack cocaine is a dangerous and addictive drug, the main users of which are members of socially deprived communities where there seems little hope. I feel that if we were to address issues of poverty in the UK half of the drug problems would vanish over time as the inclination to use drugs recedes. However, one tabloid described the situation as "epidemic" this morning. I would say that this appraisal of the situation is hysterical. We should be more concerned that over 30,000 people die from alcohol each year, and that alcohol is one of the major causes of crime. That's more of an "epidemic" in my book!
Andy, UK

Living near many crack houses in Brixton I see at first hand that the epidemic's getting out of control. The estates around the area are very poor and deprived. Decriminalisation of crack will do nothing for the crack addicts who will still resort to muggings and theft to maintain their habits unless there is state-controlled supply. Medical and social assistance is needed to ensure that crack use does not spread.
Anon, UK

I felt the potential to become violent Anonymous, England

I tried everything and have come through those days of experimentation almost unscathed, now leading a sober, professional life. I can say that crack was the only drug that ever scared me. I very quickly became aggressive and self-centred and I even felt the potential to become violent, which is so not me. I began to treat people with utter contempt, and felt no remorse. The cravings for more of this drug were profound. The only way I was able to get off it was to move to another part of the country, removing myself from all of the influences and dealers who make it so easy to get hold of. I believe in adult choice, and that our laws are draconian at best. I consider the problem to be of a social nature and not legal; however I do believe that society needs to be protected. This substance is dangerous, and MUST be kept off our streets.
Anonymous, England

Let's take the sale of cannabis out of the hands of the dealers who can also supply Ecstasy, speed, heroine, cocaine or crack cocaine. Let's stop the profits from this industry going to criminals and then to corrupt politicians in third-world countries. Legalise the trade and impose some sort of control on this chaos!
Adam, Scotland

The problem of drug abuse of this level is that it all begins with softer drugs like cannabis. The authorities need to tackle softer drug abuse to rid this country of this terrible drug.
Dave Phelps, England

While the authorities continue with a blanket "All drugs are as bad, full stop" message they will always find it difficult to reach people who are using one drug (such as ecstasy or speed) and are OK and see no reason not to move onto another - such as crack - because the government's warnings have already been proved wrong in their minds.
Dan, UK

Cigarettes and alcohol kill far more people than cocaine, heroin, ecstasy etc, yet they are legal. Why? Because everyone remembers the horrific consequences of prohibition in America, and realises the futility of trying to ban them. Surely it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that we have got ourselves into a similar mess with illegal drugs. Why not try legalising them? Prohibition didn't work for alcohol, so why does anyone think it will work for other drugs?
Adam, UK

Those who wish to legalise crack conveniently forget that such a move would also bring the responsibility of the state to look after those who become addicted. Yes, crime may be cut, as the price of the drugs is decreased, but as a direct result addiction is likely to increase. In short, the state becomes both the drug dealer and the carer. Addiction to such drugs can never be reduced if the state both legalises their use, and pays for the consequences of the addiction that follows.
Pete, UK

We should consider the way the last few governments have reduced trust and respect in, and authority of our police. I would rather have a police force which occasionally (if ever) over-stepped the mark but was effective, than the emasculated one we have now. That being the case, our police force would be trusted on its word against some vermin drug dealer, rather than having to get into long legal arguments with drug dealers lawyer. In fact I would lock up the drug dealers' lawyers with them!
Simon Mallett, UK

As ever, this discussion presents a variety of opinions well explained and presented by a variety of people. What a pity our elected representatives can't seem to have similar discussions. There is no evidence that removing prohibition of drugs would be as bad as politicians say (indeed, the American alcohol prohibition would suggest the opposite) but the politicians will not discuss it at all. We, the electorate, deserve better from them.
Paul De St Paer, UK

Legalising crack will harm the black population Anthony Okogun, Leicester, UK

Don't you think that legalising crack in the UK will harm the black population more than any segment of the community especially in the light of well documented inadequate social support; policing care, rehabilitation etc?
Anthony Okogun, Leicester, UK

The "new initiative" to encourage locals to shop dealers is neither new or an initiative; it will fail our kids again. I want to bring the whole drug thing into the public domain by decriminalisation and de-mystifying drug culture. As every day goes by we all become victims of the criminal element surrounding the supply of drugs.
Mark Dennis, UK

People talk about more education being needed on the dangers of drugs. Have they been living on Mars? It's the same as smoking and having unprotected sex. Everyone is aware of the dangers but some choose to do it anyway. Anyone who commits a drug-related crime should have the book thrown at them. It's their choice and it's about time they are held accountable instead of being portrayed as victims.
Clive, UK

The best solution is to bring back national service and so that the youngsters will be more disciplined.
Patrick Ratnaraja, UK

The authorities weren't honest about the good side of narcotics Anon, UK ex-pat

I know that the older generations are totally baffled as to why young people take drugs; they just want to ban them and move on. But the plain truth is that drugs feel fantastic, especially the first few times. Physically, mentally and even spiritually phenomenal (it's not called ecstasy for nothing). Such powerful and uplifting feelings can be damn rare if you live on a rough inner-city estate. The long-term sociological and psychological damage does not seem believable to the user. Why should it? The authorities weren't honest about the good side of narcotics, why should the user believe what they say about the bad side?
Anon, UK ex-pat

It is fine saying 'decriminalise cannabis', but one of the things about cannabis is that (in most of the UK) it is currently cheap - far cheaper than cigarettes or alcohol. If you let the government push the prices up by taxing it, then the current large numbers of cannabis users are going to have to look elsewhere for a cheaper alternative, and you end up being back to square one.
Duncan, UK

Anybody who uses heroin, crack, ecstasy, cannabis, LSD etc has no self respect or moral centre and deserves society's contempt and intolerance. They cause nothing misery to others and cost us money to police, jail and support them coming off the habit THEY got themselves into.
Robert, UK

Those who believe the drug problems would be eased by decriminalising them should cast an eye over the situation with alcohol. Legalisation and low cost do not reduce the problem at all. Imagine the dire state we will be in if such drugs as cocaine are as easily available and "accepted". A nightmare of truly unimaginable magnitude.
Wendy Wartoff, GB

Does anybody else see the irony of having a Talking Point on crack-cocaine being "out of control", while the front page news has a story about a drink driver who killed six people? Alcohol abuse causes far, far more social damage than cocaine or ecstasy ever could.
Warren, Canada

Colombia is one of those areas not tackled by the UK/European governments enough. Tackling this issue there will have an impact everywhere.
Barry, Colombia

Anyone in possession of class A drugs should receive a mandatory 30-year sentence W J Andrews, England

Drugs are destroying our society. Anyone found guilty of supplying or in possession of class A drugs should receive a mandatory 30-year prison sentence - regardless of the quantity involved. We will need more police on the street to catch these people in possession - not easy, and more customs officers guarding our coastline and airports and we may need to build more secure prisons but can anyone think of a better way to protect our society?
W J Andrews, England

Countries that have the death penalty for drugs smuggling and very harsh sentences for personal use, still have drug problems. So clearly prohibition no matter how tough the penalties are, doesn't work. Legalisation of all drugs is the way to move forward, with ALL the profits put back into treatment. Unfortunately with the crusade against drugs as with all crusades is about politicians scoring points, rather than producing results. So it will never happen, which saddens me more than the state maintaining people on drugs...
Jake, UK

There is no excuse for the softly, softly approach Terry Emerson, London, UK

It is not only crack which is a problem. In our village the local young drug dealers are known to all the local school kids, teachers and parents but have absolute immunity as everyone including adults fear them and possible reprisals. A young lad was severely beaten but was unwilling to testify. We have CCTV and police car patrols - a waste of time and money. We need police living in the midst of the community, a CPS that actually prosecutes from time to time and adequate punishment. There is no excuse for the softly, softly approach in our area which doesn't even have the excuse of poverty.
Terry Emerson, London, UK

The problem spiralled out of control in the US after fierce anti-crack cocaine legislation was passed in the late 80s. Crack cocaine is a mixture of a small amount of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and cocaine. It gives a quick high and is the drug of choice mainly for inner city poor. However, statistics in the US show that more whites than blacks consume crack cocaine.
Chris Powell, Germany

Only two drugs are so addictive that users commit antisocial crimes to feed their habit: heroin and crack. As anyone who is familiar with drugs knows, no-one burgles or mugs to feed an ecstasy habit, a cannabis habit or an LSD habit. The government should concentrate on the two drugs that are damaging society, and stop waging war on the others.
Kirk Jackson, UK

I have noticed and seen from friends and associates the increase in cocaine at first hand. I see one of the main problems being the lack of facilities to occupy and entertain young people today. The end result is young people turning to other activities to occupy their time. The only solution is education and providing facilities for young people, until then the problem will get worse before it gets better.
Sunny, London, UK

Provide a more positive future for some areas of our society who see drug-taking and the associated culture as the only way forward Richard Hall, Harrogate, UK

It seems that making drugs illegal is not solving the problem. If drugs were decriminalised the user would know what they were taking was cut with rat poison, organised crime wouldn't be involved and the tax collected could help pay for rehabilitation. Can we also try and provide a more positive future for some areas of our society who see drug taking and the associated culture as the only way forward.
Richard Hall, Harrogate, UK

I find it very upsetting that so many young people today find it necessary to use cocaine as a way of socialising. I have seen so many of my friends change because of this. I'm angry that cocaine is so easy to get hold of. I don't think people today have enough warnings about cocaine - I don't think they understand how serious it is.
Sarah Odell, England

Decriminalisation of cocaine (including its derivatives, ie crack) will stop some of the problems associated to its use and controlled supply/distribution will stop others but the bottom line is, this drug is very addictive, makes people violent and however cheap it is to start with, habits costs money. Decriminalisation cannot address the problems of violence when on the drug and habit funding crime, nor can it deal with the side effects (to society and the user) of paranoia, extreme agitation, severe depression and hallucinations which plague many long-term crack addicts. It is easy for charities assisting drug abusers to brand the government as naive, but they should try to assist them by helping to address the problems mentioned here aside from decriminalisation.
Mark, UK

Instead of hardening our stance we seem to be relaxing our drug laws. What a mistake. We should learn from parts of the Middle East and Singapore, they may restrict freedom but at least children can play without fear of drugs. All these sex crimes, murders, drugs are they an acceptable by-product of a society where freedom comes first?
AK, UK

Drugs are so easy to come by - it's easier for kids to obtain drugs than alcohol - we have an increasing problem in the valleys in south Wales which is ruining peoples lives. It leads to more crime and more addicts who cannot see a way out. We need to target the dealers and suppliers of these hard drugs but I do also think that they should legalise cannabis as most dealers have a selection of drugs. If we legalise cannabis people would not have to go to the dealers to get it and then maybe not be exposed to the harder drugs available.
Louise, Wales

I still find it sad that while masses die from the use of crack, society focuses on the anti-ecstasy campaign that is funded by the drinks industry.
Matt, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (ex UK)

Don't believe "Dan, Bristol, UK" comments, with crack such flawed philosophies will send your cities straight to hell. The USA got hit hard with a crack cocaine problem 15 or so years ago, thankfully that drug problem has greatly subsided - not due to liberalization of drug laws as Dan suggests, but specifically due to improved domestic law enforcement and considerably tougher laws, whereas your EU open borders policies and ever so "progressive" justice systems are making your cities easy prey for European organized crime and the Latin American drug kingpins! Welcome to the new and "improved" Europe?
Stephen, USA

To combat drug use we need to drop the ridiculously fearful attitude society has towards drug taking. We need to be realistic about why people use cocaine. We need to bring drugs and drug use out of the shadows and into the daylight. A good first step would be decriminalisation of all drugs and state control of supply.
Dan, Bristol, UK

Re Frank: If drugs were legalised countries who grow them could legitimately supply them removing any criminal element from both supply and distribution. The government should legalise all drugs, supply them in a controlled way and use the profits to educate against drugs and treat those who take them.
Ian, England

Re: Dan's comments If you let the state run the drugs show, then the state becomes simply a pawn in the hands of the drug barons around the world. Plus, the UK government can hardly run a transport or legitimate health, so how on earth will it be able to control the drugs market ?
Frank, Australia