Dear All
At present there is an ongoing drugs debate, the phoney ‘War on Drugs’.
The ‘War on drugs’ is part of the war on crime which politicians use as a political football to gain voters.
We all remember the infamous phrase, ‘Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’.
That gag worked for the Labour Party but behind the slogan, the causes of crime where not addressed.
Britain is an unfair and corrupt country.
A new international study by the UN has revealed Scotland has some of the worst drug abuse rates in the world.
The ‘War on drugs’ has failed to achieve any of its real objectives because no one is prepared to be radical, everyone is scared of what other politicians might say sitting across the chamber.
The UN survey shows greater per-head use of heroin, ecstasy and cocaine in this country than almost any other.
The solution is simple, bankrupt the drugs market, like any business, it is sensitive to market forces.
22 June 2010, the BBC airs slot on a news programme, the item is that the British Government grows cannabis, acres of the stuff worth millions.
The British Government in a limited way has entered the drugs market as a grower and supplier.
Drugs have to be legalised for many reasons, like alcohol and tobacco, they would provide a revenue stream, the market could be taken away from career criminals, and money could be used to finance treatment programmes through the NHS.
It should be noted that drugs kill which is an argument against legalisation but so does alcohol and tobacco and this is accepted as normal.
Political fear stops progress on this issue; people are worried about losing their seat at election time so sit there trying to look busy and doing nothing of real merit.
At present there is an ongoing drugs debate, the phoney ‘War on Drugs’.
The ‘War on drugs’ is part of the war on crime which politicians use as a political football to gain voters.
We all remember the infamous phrase, ‘Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’.
That gag worked for the Labour Party but behind the slogan, the causes of crime where not addressed.
Britain is an unfair and corrupt country.
A new international study by the UN has revealed Scotland has some of the worst drug abuse rates in the world.
The ‘War on drugs’ has failed to achieve any of its real objectives because no one is prepared to be radical, everyone is scared of what other politicians might say sitting across the chamber.
The UN survey shows greater per-head use of heroin, ecstasy and cocaine in this country than almost any other.
The solution is simple, bankrupt the drugs market, like any business, it is sensitive to market forces.
22 June 2010, the BBC airs slot on a news programme, the item is that the British Government grows cannabis, acres of the stuff worth millions.
The British Government in a limited way has entered the drugs market as a grower and supplier.
Drugs have to be legalised for many reasons, like alcohol and tobacco, they would provide a revenue stream, the market could be taken away from career criminals, and money could be used to finance treatment programmes through the NHS.
It should be noted that drugs kill which is an argument against legalisation but so does alcohol and tobacco and this is accepted as normal.
Political fear stops progress on this issue; people are worried about losing their seat at election time so sit there trying to look busy and doing nothing of real merit.
Almost 4% of the Scottish population is regularly using the class A drug cocaine and all the money they pay goes directly into the hands of criminals.
1.5% of Scots adults inject or smoke opiates, three times the world average.
Five nations have a bigger problem, Afghanistan, Iran, Costa Rica, Russia and Mauritius.
Scotland’s ecstasy problem is a third higher than in England and Wales and again all the money generated goes into the hands of criminals who use it to fund other criminal activity.
2.5% of the Scottish population take ecstasy; this is nearly a 50% jump in the last six years.
Professor Graeme Pearson of the human rights abusing organisation, Glasgow University comes up with meaningless solution:
“Education, diversion and treatment activities to reduce the problem have been largely missing over the last three years. If you have a successful drugs strategy the number of problematic drug users will fall but there’s no evidence to suggest that is happening.”
Pearson isn’t offering a real solution, just talking about improving the status quo, which has failed.
He then says wrongly in my opinion that this could have implications for Scotland’s ability to attract entrepreneurs.
Nonsense, business people wouldn’t consider hiring people with chaotic lifestyles in the first place, they will always choose what they think is right for their business internally.
If Pearson thinks they have a wider social consciousness, he is deluded.
Research shows there is £1.4 billion a year up for grabs and this money could easily come the way of the Government via a quango set up.
Will any Government win the ‘War on drugs’?
No!
They don’t have the backing of all the people, so they should look towards legalisation.
Another point worth mentioning is that Scotland tops the European table for the highest level of drug-related deaths.
When you add in the costs related to the NHS, the criminal justice system and social care that amount almost hits the £3.5bn mark.
It is time to stop seeing to be doing something and actually doing something.
Legalisation provides a solution to many problems.
It would also be the first real attempt to deal with a serious problem.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
2 comments:
More deaths = less junkies.
Not really a bad thing. I have no time for junkies or people who paint junkies as victims.
Dear Rantin Rab
Do you have time for people wanting to turn people's lives around?
Society has failed people who ended up as junkies.
Is it not time to help?
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
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