This futile War on Drugs

Dec 20 2022 The Guardian

Even England’s police want to decriminalise hard drugs. Why won’t our posturing politicians listen

Quote from the piece:

“In every sense, the “war on drugs” initiated by Edward Heath’s government in the early 1970s has failed. British cannabis consumption is at its highest point since 2007, with one in 12 adults admitting to using the drug. Scotland has the highest rate of deaths from drug use in Europe. Meanwhile, the prosecution of arrested drug offenders is falling due to sheer overstretch. This is legalisation by stealth.”

The UK government apparently wants to take a hardline approach to drug offences: “three strikes and you’re out”.

How about accepting the reality that the ‘war on drugs’ has failed. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has decided to effectively decriminalise cannabis and cocaine. And instead of prosecuting users of hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine and ecstasy, officers will recommend addiction services. Not prosecution, but harm reduction.

The ‘war on drugs’ has been around for decades, and over the years, the ‘war’ has been fought way more than three ways; how about: “three strikes for the War on Drugs, you’re out!”