Ministers should call off the "unwinnable" war on illegal drugs and instead focus attention on curbing global antibiotic misuse, a health expert said.
Highlighting the "severe" public health problem arising from antibiotic resistance, Dr Jonny Anomaly, of America's Duke University, said that governments around the world have "squandered" money by criminalising the use of recreational drugs.
The philosophy, politics and economics expert said that policymakers should "stop wasting resources" trying to fight the "morally dubious" war on recreational drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin and shift their attention to the misuse of antibiotics.
He said that antibiotic resistance is "compromising the health of people around the world" and called on health officials to regulate the use of such drugs.
Recently, the Government's Chief Medical Officer warned that resistance to antibiotics is one of the greatest threats to modern health. Many antibiotics are being used unnecessarily for mild infections, helping to create resistance, said Professor Dame Sally Davies.
Writing in the Journal of Medical Ethics, Dr Anomaly says: "Policymakers should stop wasting resources trying to fight an unwinnable and morally dubious war against recreational drug users, and start shifting their attention to the serious threat posed by our collective misuse of antibiotics."
Source: Irish Independent, 21/02/13
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