Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Drug charities have told the government that taking away people's benefits would move them backwards, not forwards. "Their benefits provide regular income and access to secure and stable accommodation—the essential building blocks of recovery from addiction," says Simon Antrobus, chief executive of Addaction. "We know that the people we support are more likely to recover if there is stability in their lives. Yes, people are stuck in benefit land, and it is right to help them recover and to regain control of their lives. But the presumption that if they stop using drugs they are automatically fit for work is wrong."It's not just doctors and drug charities warning Cameron that his plans are doomed. The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), seen by government as the voice of the hard-headed private sector, have strongly advised against benefits sanctions for problem drug and alcohol users.On top of this, there are major concerns the plan could mean unqualified job centre staff having to make clinical decisions about whether or not people have a drug problem. What's more, drug projects will have a duty to grass up their clients to the Department of Work and Pensions, and benefit claimants will be forced to undergo a series of US-style drug tests to prove they are off drugs.READ ON VICE NEWS: Parents Busted After Buying 20 Pounds of Heroin on Family Trip to Disneyland Paris
Advertisement