Ex-minister in call to de-criminalise all drugs Bob Ainsworth, who oversaw the issue at the Home Office in Tony Blair's government, said the approach of successive administrations had failed. Mr Ainsworth, also a former defence secretary, said the current policy left the drugs trade in the hands of criminal gangs. Mr Ainsworth is the most senior politician so far to publicly call for all drugs, including heroin and cocaine, to be de-criminalised. He said he realized while he was a minister in the Home Office in charge of drugs policy that the so-called war on drugs could not be won. Mr Ainsworth has called for a strict system of legal regulation under which different drugs would either be prescribed by doctors or sold under licence. He said: "Politicians and the media need to engage in a genuine and grown up debate about alternatives to prohibition, so that we can build a consensus based on delivering the best outcomes for our children and communities. Prohibition has failed to protect us. Mr Ainsworth said billions of pounds was being spent "without preventing the wide availability of drugs". "It is time to replace our failed war on drugs with a strict system of legal regulation, to make the world a safer, healthier place, especially for our children," he said. "We must take the trade away from organised criminals and hand it to the control of doctors and pharmacists." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12005824
This made one of the main stories on Radio 2 this morning. I wonder what the stance on drugs will be with this government. Usually you expect the 'zero tolerance' line to be wheeled out whenever the tories are in power, but with the classification of weed from B to C and then back to B again its hard to call. I'd say a soft approach to drugs in the public eye would be a vote loser, but with the sweeping changes of the past 6 months it's hard to call. Governments and police always want more control (by mere definition), so the removal of their ability pick on johnny weed smoker for looking a bit blazed on his walk back from the offy/club is something i can't see any time soon. Shame, cos it would save alot of money and police time.
slowly but surely people are starting to realise the war on drugs is a waste of time. However I think the masses and the media will take some convincing.
why the fuck couldn't he say this when he was in charge instead of when he is out of power? coward. The drug question came up on Question Time a couple of months ago and it was truly depressing to hear the same crap trotted out from every single panellist right across the political spectrum, without any movement at all. The same stuff they were spouting 20 years ago. They always talk about the deaths and addiction as if all drugs were the same. It will never change as long as the Daily Mail exists. It will never do for the drones to be off their faces. How will the profits be made and the wars fought?
if they controled it i would open up a coffee shop - but just at weekends as too buzzie during the week
