Drugs in pubs: Dealing with the issue

If you ask a selection of licensees about the drugs issue you will invariably get a whole range of responses.

Some in the licensed trade say drugs are not an issue for them, as no-one takes such substances in their pub. Others say dealing with the drugs issue is part of their daily job.

From experience, we at Noctis believe it is crucial for everyone in the trade to be vigilant about tackling illegal drug use - because those who don't run the risk that their premises will be targeted by dealers.

And from a police perspective, they don't like to hear the licensee has not even thought about the issue, as this is often interpreted as complacency.

One thing remains true - regardless of whether the problem is increasing or decreasing - drug-taking in and around licensed premises will remain an extremely high-profile enforcement and media issue for the licensed trade.

For my organisation, Noctis, several years ago there was a firm belief among some in elevated positions, that clubs were all colluding in the sale of illegal drugs.

Obviously this was an extremely damaging notion for the vast majority of those good late-night operators.

Yet this proves that right across the trade we have to continue to take this issue extremely seriously.

And at a time when the industry is fighting a whole range of other negative issues in terms of perception, we cannot afford to have any extra bad PR.

Being proactive

Over the past few years a number of organisations, including my own, have been very proactive in trying to find useful and positive initiatives to deal with the issue of drugs.

One of the key recent projects we have been involved in, largely through the work of long-time Noctis committee member Liam O'Hare, formerly the operations director of London club the End, is the revision of the Safer Nightlife guide.

This guide offers very practical advice on how to deal with the issue of drugs - not least in the chapter which relates to developing a drugs policy for your pub or club.

Although Safer Nightlife is aimed primarily at late-night venues, it contains lots of useful information for all sections of the trade.

Crucially, this guide doesn't preach or point the finger.

Instead, it starts from the practical standpoint that drugs are a social issue which runs right through our society.

It also argues that tackling this issue needs to be done in real partnership.

When the first version of this guide was published in 2002, entitled Safer Clubbing, this way of thinking was a pretty radical, though welcome, departure from the norm.

This more co-operative way of operating has to be earned by working constructively with the police and local authorities so those agencies can see that the licensee is very keen to tackle the problem.

This is not to say that all authorities - even now - will be completely understanding on the drugs issue.

Incidentally, when we launched Safer Nightlife at the End last year, Liam didn't have a moment's hesitation about allowing sniffer dogs into the premises - yet this illustrates quite how far the licensed trade needs to go in order to have an honest and open relationship with the authorities on this issue.

The authorities for their part also need to acknowledge the trade as a crucial part of the solution - not part of the problem.

To download a copy of the Safer Nightlife guide visit www.noctisuk.org

Paul Smith is executive director of late-night operator trade group Noctis ​