We thank Drs Whittaker and McIntosh for their interest in our article, but they have misinterpreted its contents. As stated, the aim of our editorial was to emphasise the importance of the topic by describing the unfavourable effects illicit substances can have on both pregnancy and infant outcome; we are therefore pleased that Whittaker and McIntosh state we have provided a comprehensive list of unfavourable outcomes. We agree that treatment services should be accessible to women, as it is important to retain them throughout pregnancy and provide support through into the postnatal period. Indeed, in the final paragraph of our editorial we described such a package of care. We are surprised that Whittaker & McIntosh feel that our article had an unsympathetic tone; careful reading of our editorial demonstrates that it emphasises the importance of optimising treatment and reducing morbidity and argues for adequate resources to be made available.