Wards of dope

The Times reports the shocking news that drug dealers are getting into mental health units by posing as patients’ friends and selling them cannabis. According to Marcus Roberts, policy director of the mental illness charity MIND, this abuse is rife throughout the country. And what do the hospitals themselves say about this?

Some hospitals have brought in sniffer dog patrols to scare dealers off but staff say that they have no rights to stop patients and friends coming in or out, or to search anyone who may be carrying drugs.

No rights, eh? But they are directly responsible for the safety and well-being of the patients in their care. They are failing to prevent drug-dealing predators from targeting psychiatric patients on their wards who are in no state to resist. No rights? It’s their flaming duty to stop this, and if they don’t do so they should be replaced by hospital staff who actually understand what this means.

 

Pathetic.