IATTENDED the board meeting of the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale NHS Trust when the question of treatment of drug addicts was prominent on the agenda.

Not that the board have any specific interest in dealing with this problem - they have had that right taken away from them by a ruling by East Lancashire Health Authority that as a money-saving exercise (or some other reason that the public are not privy to) this service was being handed over to the Communicare organisation on April 1.

Most informed health professionals, and the Community Health Council, believe that this will be an inferior service.

I genuinely believe that some members of the board are disgusted and embarrassed about this latest slap in the face but are impotent to do anything about it.

The only organisation determined to attack this injustice to this community is the Community Health Council. Without a stay of execution, the already overrun service offered by dedicated professionals, performing with meagre resources and unappreciated by most people, will cease to exist.

Many people consider drug addicts, along with alcoholics and compulsive gamblers, as deserving little or no sympathy.

But most of us will suffer at the hands of drug users who need to deal or steal in order to satisfy their craving, and most of us will be offended at some time by the sight of drug abusers crossing our paths.

Most people, out of fear, are reluctant to co-operate with the police in detecting the problem in the first place: most parents and relatives are too embarrassed or ashamed to make themselves known.

Yet, the one agency that is at least partially equipped to deal with this problem on our doorstep is prevented from doing so because of internal politics.

A recent public debate about fluoridisation of the local water supply resulted in the town hall meeting being packed to capacity by interested and concerned members of the public.

I urge the Community Health Council to conduct a similar campaign as soon as possible to bring this dreadful issue into the open.

HARRY HORNE, Brunshaw Road, Burnley.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.