There are strong links between poverty, deprivation, widening inequalities and problem drug use but the picture is complex. It may involve fragile family bonds, psychological discomfort, low job opportunities and few community resources.

Relative poverty, deprivation and widening inequalities, such as income, are important factors that need to be given a more central role within the drug policy debate as they weaken the social fabric, damage health and increase crime rates.

Not all marginalised people will develop a drug problem, but those at the margins of society, such as the homeless and those in care, are most at risk.