General practitioners,court reports,and alcohol related offences.

General practitioners may have to submit medical reports to the courts on patients who have a suspected alcohol problem, 98% of such requests coming from magistrates courts. When, however, a defendant decides to plead "not guilty" to an offence on the grounds of intoxication general practitioners are often asked to prepare a report to support the plea. We present guidelines on preparing such reports and discuss the implications of the contents.