At the present count, we have 14 syringes. Some are stuffed in kitchen drawers, but I have also found an alarming number under my eight-year-old daughter’s bed, suggesting heavy recreational use. But this isn’t a crack den. It’s simply your average British household with small children who take – need? – the family-favourite brand of paracetamol, Calpol.

Formulated in 1959 and administered to children for nearly 70 years, Calpol is a part of British life. And this is set to continue: more than five tons of Calpol are sold every day and more than 12 million units each year. With more than 70 per cent of the market share, Calpol is the family narcotic of choice. Nothing conjures up childhood memories quite like that little brown bottle. 

But are we – as Dr Chris van Tulleken suggested in a 2018 BBC documentary – addicted to this ‘heroin........

© The Spectator