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Inevitable that MPs will call for drug reform
A Bristol pressure group has said it is inevitable that more politicians will push for reform of the UK’s drug laws, as a government report revealed yesterday that there is “no obvious” link between tough laws and levels of illegal drug use.
George Murkin, from Transform which campaigns for the legal regulation of drugs, said the report from the Home Office was “incredibly important” and that the debate had now shifted from its “ideologically driven” stance of prohibition.
Liberal Democrat Home Office minister Norman Baker said the report, comparing the UK with other countries, should end “mindless rhetoric” on drugs policy.
is needed now More than ever
He accused the Conservatives of “suppressing” the findings for months.
Tory MP Michael Ellis said the Lib Dems had “hijacked” it for political gain.
The government says it has “no intention” of decriminalising drugs, but MPs want a review to be published within the next 12 months.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, Murkin said: “This is an incredibly important report. It is the first time the government has said that the punitive approach to drugs does not prevent drug use.
“It has found that the previous approach using harsh drug laws does not work.”
As MPs debated the issue of drugs in Parliament, he added: “The debate is an important first step. It has been ideilogically driven in the past, but as countries such as the US and Portugal use more evidence-based reforms of their drug laws, the debate has shifted.
“It is a massive shift to see big public statements from people actually in power in favour of reform.
“It is inevitable that more politicians will now follow suit.”
The Home Office report compared the UK’s approach to drug misuse with that of 13 other countries.
After examining a range of approaches, from zero-tolerance to decriminalisation, it concluded drug use was influenced by factors “more complex and nuanced than legislation and enforcement alone”.
But it found there had been a “considerable” improvement in the health of drug users in Portugal since the country made drug possession a health issue rather than a criminal one in 2001.
Picture: william casey / Shutterstock
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