Commander John Grieve, Criminal Intelligence Unit, Scotland Yard,
Channel 4 1997

There are three methods of distributing drugs:

1. Through licensed dealers.
2. Through prescriptions.
3. Through the illegal market.

Criminalising a certain set of substances and demonising the producers, suppliers and users of those substances has created a criminal market of staggering proportions (8% of world trade). It is dirty, dangerous and burgeoning.

As the illegal drug problem in the UK continues to worsen there is an ever more urgent need for a reasoned public debate on the issue. This debate needs to be based on an objective analysis of the facts. Unfortunately at present, the agenda tends to be led by sensationalist tabloid scandals and fuelled by moralising politicians eager to appeal to ‘moral majority’.

This document is an attempt to redress the balance in the direction of common sense by challenging some of the myths surrounding illegal drugs and by injecting a healthy dose of reality.

"Prohibition...goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control man’s appetite through legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not even crimes...A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our Government was founded."

• The link between illegal drugs and crime is primarily due to the fact that they are illegal. The property crime associated with illegal drugs is directly related to the high price, which is determined by the unregulated criminal market. An average heroin habit costs about £300 a week. Stolen property sells for between a fifth and a third of its real value. Around half of all property crime is committed by addicts who steal to support a habit. It is pure economics that makes this so.

• Where controlled distribution of prescribed heroin to addicts has been tried, the resulting reduction in offending has been dramatic.

• It is important to note that there is no crime link associated with the tobacco market despite the fact that most smokers are addicts. This is purely because tobacco is cheap, and the market is regulated and controlled

"The Drug War cannot stand the light of day. It will collapse as quickly as the Vietnam War, as soon as people find out what’s really going on."

Joseph McNamara, former Police Chief, Kansas City and San Jose; Fellow, Hoover Institution - DRCNet downloaded from Net

Q: Why are drugs dangerous?

• Alcohol kills 30,000 every year and yet according to the Department of Health "if alcohol is consumed in sensible amounts and in appropriate situations it is not likely to be harmful to a persons health".

• As a society we have no problem making the distinction between alcohol users and misusers. The same criteria need to be applied to all drugs. As with safe sex education, knowledge encourages responsible behaviour and reduces the risks. Poor information and unknown strength and purity contribute significantly to the dangers of illegal drugs.

Q: Why are so many black people imprisoned under the drug laws?

• 45% of white people and 30% of Afro–Carribeans have used illicit drugs (1). The myth of black people and drugs has been fostered by bias within both the media and the criminal justice system.

(1) 1996 British Crime Survey.

• However, you are ten times more likely to be imprisoned under the drug laws if you are black.

Q: Is drug use a human right?

• "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion…and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance". Universal Declaration on Human Rights - Article 18

• "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation". Universal Declaration on Human Rights - Article 11

• As long as we do not harm others we are free to do what we want with our bodies. This includes reckless and dangerous behaviour e.g. sky diving, mountaineering, drinking, smoking and so on.

• If we have rights to make personal choices regarding our bodies and our lifestyles this must include all substances we may choose to put into our bodies, whether they are food, medicines or drugs.

People use drugs for two main reasons

1. To feel good
2. To stop feeling bad

The criminal justice system has spectacularly failed to stop people enjoying themselves. It has also failed to stop people using drugs to relieve mental, emotional and physical pain.

Of course drug misuse can exacerbate existing social problems. Problematic drug use is invariably linked to social, economic or emotional deprivation of some kind. Therefor those communities that are socially deprived are more likely to experience the worst ravages of prohibition.

"The current policies are not working. We seize more drugs, we arrest more people, but when you look at the availability of drugs, the use of drugs, the crime committed because of and through people who use drugs, the violence associated with drugs, it’s on the increase. It can’t be working."

• In the same period the federal budget for drug control has ballooned from $1billion to $16billion, with two thirds for enforcement agencies.

Q: Would legalisation lead to a drugs ‘free for all’?

• The fact is we have a drugs ‘free for all’ now. Illegal drugs are readily available in any UK city or town. Legalisation allows the drug market to be controlled and regulated by the Government rather than the Mafia.