The war on drugs is doing nothing more than creating drug addicts and fuelling crime!
Time for a big rethink.
This present set of harmful policies was based on puritanism. It peddled lies and falsehoods that were simply not believed. It tried to frighten people and use punitive means to deal with the problem.
The result is that more and more of our young people are involved with drugs. There are more deaths and wasted lives. There is a huge wave of crime and violence created by drug gangs and addicts stealing to fund their habits. Large amounts of police time is taken up dealing with drug offences. Otherwise responsible citizens are criminalised. The courts and prisons are clogged up with drug offences. Hospitals and A&E are dealing with the fall-out. Huge amounts of money is flowing into the black market to finance organised crime. The drugs on the street are adulterated or of dubious quality and strength – it is killing people.
What madness is this?
Surely it is time for a sensible rethink? This war on drugs has been going on for sixty years and has succeeded in making things much worse!
It is time to treat drugs as a health issue and not a criminal one. We need to send our addicts to rehab clinics, councillors and treatment centres. It is time to enable drugs to be made available in pure form of known strength. It is time to take the initiative away from criminals.
Prohibition does not work!
Portugal has clearly signposted the way forward. By treating drugs as a public health issue, and not a criminal one, they have cut the number of heroin addicts by two thirds! They have slashed the death-rate to a mere 27 deaths in 2016.
Surely it is time for a big rethink!