Further proof that Lord Birt is one whacky guy.

Lord Birt, the prime minister’s "blue skies" strategy adviser,
privately recommended the more widespread use of free heroin
prescribing to undercut the £4bn a year illegal drug market and stop
the 260,000 heroin users in Britain having to commit crimes to buy
their supplies.

Entirely sensible, moving back roughly to the system we had 30 years ago. Registered addicts get a prescription. Then this:

The former BBC director general recommended that this liberal measure
should be wrapped in a far more "coercive" approach to drugs, with
heroin use made a criminal offence on a par with heroin possession and
"high harm" heroin and crack users "captured and gripped" in a
compulsory treatment regime.

So when they turn up for their prescription they get banged up for the same length of time as a dealer? Very sensible.

What’s he been smoking?