... at the Lib Dem conference:
The party’s annual conference in Birmingham voted for reforms to drugs laws which could also lead to Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes opening across Britain. The decision means it is now official Liberal Democrat party policy, to which leader Nick Clegg is bound – although the Home Office said it had ‘no intention’ of changing the laws.
Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies told delegates: ‘We have had drug prohibition for 50 years and drug use has increased. The only way to stop the criminals is to undermine the supply chain by taking away their income.’
Party members said possession of any controlled drug should be a civil offence which would see transgressors given health advice and education by social workers. They also called on the government to consider a framework for a ‘strictly controlled and regulated’ cannabis market with government-controlled retail outlets.
The Lib Dem proposal claims* that decriminalising the possession of drugs for personal use in Portugal has not led to a rise in abuse. It says ‘heroin maintenance’ clinics in Switzerland and the Netherlands have delivered health benefits for addicts.
* Why use the word 'claims'? As far as I am aware those statements are verifiably true.
Monday, 19 September 2011
Outbreak of common sense...
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7 comments:
What's the betting they're still banging on about the evils of drink, though?
Is this logical captain?
"..possession of any controlled drug should be a civil offence which would see transgressors given health advice and education by social workers."
and
"They also called on the government to consider a framework for a ‘strictly controlled and regulated’ cannabis market with government-controlled retail outlets."
Buy from a state-controlled outlet and you will be commiting a civil offence?
C, true, they are totally schizophrenic on this.
VFTS, I think in the context, 'controlled drug' means cocaine or heroin, and cannabis is not a 'controlled drug' for these purposes - it is merely bought from 'controlled outlets'.
would see transgressors given health advice and education by social workers
I think I'd rather go to jail!
P, if everybody sees social workers as a worse punishment than jail, then it's a storming result for the taxpayer.
If one social worker costs us £40,000 a year and he or she can get on the nerves of a hundred addicts (many of whom merrily keep taking the stuff), then that's much better value than locking people up for IMHO an entirely innocent activity at the cost of £40,000 a year each.
Not quite. Heroin prohibition for about 55 years and drug prohibition for nearly 90 years.
Now, take it away from the pharmaceutical companies and the organised criminals move into the vacuum. The roaring twenties and Al Capone et al seem to be being ignored. Weird eh?
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