A CHARITY boss who has worked closely with people suffering from drug and alcohol misuse has suggested politicians recalibrate their thinking on the issue.

Martin Blakebrough, 60, lived at Kaleidoscope's Kingston hostel as a child - and in 1998 became the charity's cheif executive. And in 2003 he spearheaded the charity's move to a new base of operations in Newport.

“In Kingston, I was able to make a difference in one relatively small area, said Mr Blakebrough. "I moved our headquarters to Wales when I realised we could make a difference in a country.”

A spell of “radio silence” veiled their arrival in Newport, the former baptist minister said.

“The media often gets a bad rap for this, but they took the public interest as being more important than a salacious story, and I give the media huge credit for that,” he said.

South Wales Argus: The Blakebrough family - Kaleidoscope founders

From a space at the back of St Paul’s Church on Commercial Street, Newport, the service shattered the council’s target of treating 100 clients in the first three months.

Kaleidoscope celebrated its 20th year in Wales at St Woolos Cathedral this month with a massive lesson in administering Naloxone – a life-saving injection in cases of an opioid overdose.

"It can happen with painkillers, said Mr Blakebrough. "We might also want to hand that power to people who have members of their family, or come across someone who needs it.

South Wales Argus:

“The police, when we started, were about arresting people rather than treating people, but they have become very good allies for us.

“We have more people in prison than anywhere else in Western Europe and it’s not because we have a particularly bad population - it’s because we have bad policy,” said Mr Blakebrough – who has political experience as a councillor, and parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats in Monmouthshire.

“I have to say that all the parties in Wales seem to be more committed to social justice than Westminster politicians. They have a much more radical view on how to support people with drug problems. It’s staggering,” he said.

“I’m not saying that people with drug and alcohol problems are perfect, but often when you actually get to know the people who’ve had problems with drugs, they’ve had horrendous trauma. Why do we vilify them?”

Looking to the next two decades, the CEO points to the “blocks” he says stop Kaleidoscope from helping more people with drug and alcohol misuse.

“We still need to have a more nuanced policy," he said. "The UK Government is a major problem for us because they’re not looking at proper changes that will help people.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Illegal drugs devastate lives. Our 10-year drugs strategy set out ambitious plans, backed with a record £3 billion funding over three years, to tackle both the supply and demand for drugs, including building a world-class system of treatment and recovery to turn people’s lives around and prevent crime.

“However, this government takes a zero tolerance approach to crime and we make no apology for taking a tough approach to those who break the law.”