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Although her daughter's cocaine addiction began with cannabis use, a West Country mum is questioning the legalisation of the drug that relieves pain for the likes of multiple sclerosis sufferers. Yet her daughter, an ex crack addict, surprisingly opposes such legalisation. Angela Harrison knows only too well the vast implications of drug addiction, having just released her latest book Crackhead 3 Suffer Little Children - the third in a series chronicling the tragic life of her adopted daughter, Jamie, now 31. The series of books also looks set to be made into a factual TV drama. Angela has cared for Jamie's eldest son Max since he was a baby, whilst her other two children have been adopted. Crackhead, a deep reflection on the wealth of personal experience, enables Angela to wonder if cannabis should be legalised. "I have come to the conclusion that progressing from a so-called recreational drug to the likes of cocaine isn't an inevitable step. I believe it depends on the individual's personality," explained Angela, age 59. "Enjoying the occasional drink or cigarette doesn't make you a potential alcoholic or chain smoker. However, it would appear that some people's make-up results in them being more inclined to follow obsessive and compulsive routes, leading to addiction. The trigger for this is often low self-esteem, with addiction being a coping mechanism." Having contacted Jamie's natural family, Angela is aware of their addictive tendencies and believes Jamie's addiction was inevitable. "Had drugs been more readily available and affordable to Jamie," says Angela, "I wonder if she would have set foot on the path to prostitution and crime, Would the legalisation of drugs have brought down their cost - thus reducing the need to commit crime to fund a habit and forcing the user underground? While agreeing with Angela's view about the susceptibility of addictive personalities, conversely Jamie said, "I believe if drugs were legalized, like alcohol and cigarettes, more people would take them. I'm especially opposed to legalisation of cannabis, since the drug is far stronger today than in the 60's, causing many users to suffer long-term schizophrenia. Jamie believes that cannabis has a greater psychological effect than heroin. Cannabis is often cut with heroin or cocaine, causing dependence and withdrawal symptoms when coming off." Keen to turn her daughter's negative existence into something positive, Angela is currently in negotiation with film producers to turn her books into a television or radio drama. Seven years, since writing the first book about how her daughter's life wreaked devastation on the family, and entering her 60th year, Angela felt it was time to hand over the project to a trustworthy scriptwriter in order to reach more hearts. However, Angela stressed, "I've never been interested in a scriptwriter making Jamie's story into one of drug addiction and prostitution, with a fictitious happy ending. This was the insistence of various publishers after reading my first book. Consequently I opted for self-publishing. "My books detail the devastating effect that a drug addict can have on the family, yet how that family can survive and remain friends. Although Jamie and I have fallen out many times, we still have a close mother/daughter relationship. Regardless of the sufferings of Max, he still loves his mother, although he regards her more as a sister and prefers to call me mum," added Angela. While 14 year-old Max's emotions have spanned desperate depression, rejection and acceptance of his mother, he maintains regular contact with Jamie. My daughter is doing very well, has overcome many problems and is currently on a methadone programme," says Angela. "She is proud of my books and has even added a few words of her own to them. She feels strongly too that any future portrayal of her story should focus on her family's anguish. To this end, Jamie is prepared to work closely with a scriptwriter. By 2003, Angela had completed Crackhead 2 and 3 - A New Millennium and Suffer Little Children, but was at a loss how to fund publication, and felt quite exhausted by almost 16 years of relentless emotional stress. "Quite by chance, I discovered a 'Print on Demand' service, which answered all my problems," said Angela. "It costs between £50 and £100 for the printers to set up a book. They invoice me for printing only when books are printed. Having obtained ISBN numbers and barcodes, I registered the books on a national database. The books can now be ordered via bookshops and on the Internet. "Crackhead is the true depiction of my diaries kept over the past 15 years. Jamie progressed from cannabis, amphetamines, to crack and heroin - working as a prostitute to fund her addiction. I was worried when a number of working girls disappeared - thanks to my daughter's openness, I was able to keep a diary of her movements, which I could pass on to the police should anything happen to her. Angela added, "I never had any intention of becoming a 'real writer'. I was just a mum with a more eventful diary than most. My diaries developed further, with the addition of details necessary to prove to the court that I needed custody of my grandson because of the danger he was in. Through the diaries, Angela reflects on how Jamie's once normal childhood behaviour began to change when she was about 12, with the wearing of heavy make-up, staying out late at night and eventually being caught with cannabis when she was sixteen. Having adopted Jamie at the age of six weeks, I decided to trace her natural family and discovered the source of her problems," said Angela. "Jamie is the living image of her mother, sharing her addictive and wayward personality." Angela realised that the content of these diaries would help Jamie's three children to understand why they had been parted from their mother. Because of this, she decided to collate her notes into a spiral-bound book for them. Having had the cover produced by a graphic designer friend, the diary took on the new identity of a 'real book'; so Angela decided to get it professionally printed using compensation money from a medical claim. "This cost me about £6,000 for a run of 1,500 books. I stored and marketed them myself, but it was all very time consuming," explained Angela. "The purpose of my book-writing venture was not to make money, but to make various agencies stop and think about how they'd let down our family." I was really chuffed when the book arrived - it looked great! I sent copies to all manner of people, including all Drug Action Teams, most of whom purchased the books. A copy was sent to Prime Minister, Tony Blair. It was purchased by prison governors, solicitors, actors, adoption agencies, health visitors, social services and police forces, many of whom use the books for training. Schools incorporate the story in their drug education programme, while drug workers recommend parent support groups to read Crackhead. Slowly, Angela's books were helping to raise awareness of the nation's drugs problems: combined with her support for the Family Rights Group, who campaigned for financial support for similarly affected grandparents, along with TV and radio interviews, speaking at conferences, and providing a grandparents support help line. By the end of the year 2000, Crackhead's message had well and truly hit home. Sir David Frost presented Angela with the Government's 'Building A Learning Community' award at the Millennium Dome, for her voluntary support work - after which Tony Blair mentioned Angela on TV. She also appeared on BBC's Newsnight to discuss the financial hardship of grandparents caring for their grandchildren because of drugs. Angela concluded. I've gained a great sense of satisfaction from writing my books. I used to be such a shy, retiring type, but now have considerable confidence through my experiences as the mother of a crack addict. I only hope that I can find a suitable scriptwriter who will help other people to learn from Jamie's story. * For further information,
www.crackhead.info
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