DRUGS Tsar Keith Hellawell visited the region yesterday to speak to people about the way drugs have devastated their lives.
Following his controversial comments that cannabis use does not lead to harder drugs, Mr Hellawell was in Teesside to talk to drug users, their families and local residents.
He spent time at the Addictive Behaviour Unit, in Stockton, and then the Robert Atkinson Community Centre in Thorntree Lane, Thornaby.
At the community centre, he talked to residents, councillors and pressure groups about the effect of drugs on their community.
Stockton South MP Dari Taylor said: "We wanted to give Mr Hellawell a wide ranging view of the fight against drug addiction in Stockton South.
"It is vital that he sees how Government policies are working out on the ground. This means speaking with GPs, the Addictive Behaviours Unit, and addicts themselves, to see how drug treatment and rehabilitation is changing lives, as well as liaising with the local police and local residents, many of whom face the consequences of drug addiction every day.
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