The current harsh economic climate could drive more people to drink, smoke or do hard drugs, with dire consequences.

In sounding this recent warning, the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) urged both public and private sector interests to partner with it to help stymie any increase in drug use - legal or illegal.

"In an environment where there is a lot of uncertainty (and) a lot of stress, where there is the threat of job loss and economic hardship and problems making ends meet, some people will choose to turn to legal and illegal drugs to escape from the reality of the harsh climate that they face," Michael Tucker, executive director of the NCDA, told the Sunday Observer.

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