FUCK THE DRUGS WAR.

[Mr. Martinez]

Decriminalise possession of drugs, celebrities urge government

Campaign headed by actors, academics and lawyers says current drugs laws stigmatise people and damage communities

Dame Judi Dench, Sir Richard Branson, and Sting have joined an ex-drugs minister and three former chief constables in calling for the decriminalisation of the possession of all drugs.

The high-profile celebrities together with leading lawyers, academics, artists and politicians have signed an open letter to David Cameron to mark this week's 40th anniversary of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. The letter, published in a full-page advertisement in Thursday's Guardian, calls for a "swift and transparent" review of the effectiveness of current drugs policies.

Its signatories say that all the past 40 years has produced is a rapid growth in illicit drug use in Britain, and significant harm caused by the application of the criminal law to the personal use and possession of all drugs.

"This policy is costly for taxpayers and damaging for communities," they claim. "Criminalising people who use drugs leads to greater social exclusion and stigmatisation making it much more difficult for them to gain employment and to play a productive role in society. It creates a society full of wasted resources."

The letter launching the campaign, Drugs – It's Time for Better Laws, has been organised by the national drugs charity Release. Other signatories include the film director Mike Leigh, actors Julie Christie and Kathy Burke and leading lawyer Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC. The former Labour drugs minister Bob Ainsworth and three former chief constables, Paul Whitehouse, Francis Wilkinson and Tom Lloyd, have all put their names to the letter.

It points out that nearly 80,000 people were found guilty or cautioned for the possession of illegal drugs – most of whom were young, black or poor – in 2010. Over the past decade, more than a million people have ended up with a criminal record as a result of the drug laws.

The letter coincides with Thursday's New York launch of the report of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which counts three former South American presidents, the former secretary-general of the United Nations Kofi Annan and Sir Richard Branson among its membership.

"The war on drugs has failed to cut drug usage, but has filled our jails, cost millions in tax payer dollars, fuelled organised crime and caused thousands of deaths. We need a new approach, one that takes the power out of the hands of organised crime and treats people with addiction problems like patients, not criminals," said Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, who is to appear at the launch.

"The good news is new approaches focused on regulation and decriminalisation have worked. We need our leaders, including business people, looking at alternative, fact-based approaches.

"We need more humane and effective ways to reduce the harm caused by drugs. The one thing we cannot afford to do is to go on pretending the 'war on drugs' is working."

Sting, who also signed the letter to Cameron, said: "Giving young people criminal records for minor drug possession serves little purpose – it is time to think of more imaginative ways of addressing drug use in our society."

Ainsworth, the former Home Office drugs minister and defence secretary, last December described the war on drugs as "nothing short of a disaster" and called for the legal regulation of their production and supply.

The campaign defines decriminalisation as a model that adopts civil rather than criminal sanctions such as confiscation and warnings and fixed penalty fines rather than arrest, prosecution and a criminal record.

The high-profile campaigners point to the Portuguese experience as evidence that decriminalisation does not lead to an increase in drug use. Portugal became the first European country in July 2001 to introduce "administrative" penalties – similar to parking fines – for the possession of all illicit drugs.

The immediate reaction from the Home Office last night was to rule out any such move: "We have no intention of liberalising our drugs laws. Drugs are illegal because they are harmful – they destroy lives and cause untold misery to families and communities.

"Those caught in the cycle of dependency must be supported to live drug-free lives, but giving people a green light to possess drugs through decriminalisation is clearly not the answer," said a spokesman.

"We are taking action through tough enforcement, both inland and abroad, alongside introducing temporary banning powers and robust treatment programmes that lead people into drug free recovery."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/02/drugs-drugspolicy

[Beavis]

Was posted in the news thread but this will get more people aware I suppose.

Sign this anyone that hasn't already signed it

We call on you to end the war on drugs and the prohibition regime, and move towards a system based on decriminalisation, regulation, public health and education. This 50 year old policy has failed, fuels violent organised crime, devastates lives and is costing billions. It is time for a humane and effective approach.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_the_war_on_drugs/?cl=1089700402&v=9261

[Mr. Martinez]

f*ck 'signing' a website. We need to go in guys. Read the following, reach for the tools and march with me...

The immediate reaction from the Home Office last night was to rule out any such move: "We have no intention of liberalising our drugs laws. Drugs are illegal because they are harmful – they destroy lives and cause untold misery to families and communities.

"Those caught in the cycle of dependency must be supported to live drug-free lives, but giving people a green light to possess drugs through decriminalisation is clearly not the answer," said a spokesman.

"We are taking action through tough enforcement, both inland and abroad, alongside introducing temporary banning powers and robust treatment programmes that lead people into drug free recovery.

[Beavis]

Whats your plan, where are you going to march?

[Skola]

considering we have a "Campaign headed by actors, academics and lawyers says current drugs laws stigmatise people and damage communities"

and the governments own advisory board being clearly ignored

id say a march isnt gonna make anything change

the drug laws we have are based on politics not science

[Supernova]

Will this allow me to get down with Mandy and Ketrina without hassle

Where do I sign

[MARVELL]

if this gets most of you politically apathetic cunts to get up and become politically motivated im all for it. 3Drugs

[Vertigo]

considering we have a "Campaign headed by actors, academics and lawyers says current drugs laws stigmatise people and damage communities"

and the governments own advisory board being clearly ignored

id say a march isnt gonna make anything change

the drug laws we have are based on politics not science

Pretty much. Crime usually forms the bedrock of their election campaigns, it's going to take politicians who think more long term instead of what works to keep them in the goverment before this attitude changes.

Maybe some of them should be pushing for a Referendum. Would be intersting if a YES for decriminalisation won.

[Yuri]

Regulation is inevitable

[easy.pee.zee]

If it does it does if it doesn't it doesn't ...I don't take any drug I don't supply any drug I do not need any drug for health reasons...used to things the way they are if owt changes nothing major history and law are forever changing....no hype from me on this subject

[Guest Esquilax]

If it does it does if it doesn't it doesn't ...I don't take any drug I don't supply any drug I do not need any drug for health reasons...used to things the way they are if owt changes nothing major history and law are forever changing....no hype from me on this subject

What about if you get cancer and the chemotherapy ruins your body/ appetite and the only way you'll be able to eat is to smoke draw thus making you a criminal?

Why does the government get to decide what plants/ chemicals I consume?

[Heero Yuy]

Regulation is inevitable

I dunno tbh the drugs game keeps ALOT of people employed on both sides of the fence

[Yuri]

Regulation is inevitable

I dunno tbh the drugs game keeps ALOT of people employed on both sides of the fence

Drugs have only been around for the last 60 years or so, and they've been a problem for less

Prohibition is not a cost-effective strategy for governments, regulation is inevitable whether it happens in the next 10 years or the next 50. It will come to an end in the same way the prohibition experiment in America came to an end because the current approach is not logically sustainable

[The King]

Drugs have only been around for the last 60 years or so, and they've been a problem for less

LOL

60 years yeah?

[O.Man]

Drugs have only been around for the last 60 years or so, and they've been a problem for less

LOL

60 years yeah?

[Skola]

can you imagine if cocain, heroin and cannabis became legal

they would become massive and very valuable consumer markets

and think who is already set up to cultivate and distribute these products on a massive scale?

afghanistan and south america

any 3rd world country could suddenly become rich

lol at them ever letting that happen

[Woodpecker]

can you imagine if cocain, heroin and cannabis became legal

they would become massive and very valuable consumer markets

and think who is already set up to cultivate and distribute these products on a massive scale?

afghanistan and south america

any 3rd world country could suddenly become rich

lol at them ever letting that happen

smh is this really skola?

[Skola]

yeah

is it not true that any shitty random country with the right climate could grow cannabis, coca plant and poppys?

[Guest Esquilax]

They already do, opium is still widely used in Afghanistan, US troops regularly decimate farmers fields to stop them making heroin

[Guest M12 Part 2]

can you imagine if cocain, heroin and cannabis became legal

they would become massive and very valuable consumer markets

and think who is already set up to cultivate and distribute these products on a massive scale?

afghanistan and south america

any 3rd world country could suddenly become rich

lol at them ever letting that happen

Lmao they would do the exact same thing they do with oil and diamonds and every other resource. Take them using force and use the remaining local people as a cheap workforce to increase their profit margins.

[Beavis]

Drugs have only been around for the last 60 years or so, and they've been a problem for less

LOL

60 years yeah?

LMAO, funniest thing I have read for ages.

[Ulysses]

can you imagine if cocain, heroin and cannabis became legal

they would become massive and very valuable consumer markets

and think who is already set up to cultivate and distribute these products on a massive scale?

afghanistan and south america

any 3rd world country could suddenly become rich

lol at them ever letting that happen

Not that rich. If they were legal the price of drugs would collapse. I would expect the economic outcome to be similar to countries that produce cocoa or coffee.

[Heero Yuy]

Regulation is inevitable

I dunno tbh the drugs game keeps ALOT of people employed on both sides of the fence

Drugs have only been around for the last 60 years or so, and they've been a problem for less

Prohibition is not a cost-effective strategy for governments, regulation is inevitable whether it happens in the next 10 years or the next 50. It will come to an end in the same way the prohibition experiment in America came to an end because the current approach is not logically sustainable

Prohibition didn't work for many illogical and unfeasible reasons. Banning anything that was socially accepted by a overwhelming majority without real reason or cause would result in the same outcome as prohibition.

Drugs that are being discussed here are not socially accepted by the overwhelming majority. The day Arthur and Abigail from rural Yorkshire see nothing wrong with bunning a zoot and sniffing coke is the day you'll have your majority.

[Thun]

Drugs have only been around for the last 60 years or so, and they've been a problem for less

LOL

60 years yeah?

LMAO, funniest thing I have read for ages.

[GrimmyGrimGrim]

can you imagine if cocain, heroin and cannabis became legal

they would become massive and very valuable consumer markets

and think who is already set up to cultivate and distribute these products on a massive scale?

afghanistan and south america

any 3rd world country could suddenly become rich

lol at them ever letting that happen

Not that rich. If they were legal the price of drugs would collapse. I would expect the economic outcome to be similar to countries that produce cocoa or coffee.

c/s

oil and diamonds are expensive because oil is gonna run out one day and diamonds are scarce

drugs are only expensive these days because of the risk the criminals are taking

delete that risk and supply can rise massively to meet demand

cant wait for the day i can buy 3.5g of some top top weed for about a tenner