10 Reasons to legalise all drugs
1 Address the real issues
For too long policy makers have used prohibition as a smoke screen to avoid
addressing the social and economic factors that lead people to use drugs.
Most illegal and legal drug use is recreational. Poverty and despair are at
the root of most problematic drug use and it is only by addressing these
underlying causes that we can hope to significantly decrease the number of
problematic users.
2 Eliminate the criminal market place
The market for drugs is demand-led and millions of people demand illegal
drugs. Making the production, supply and use of some drugs illegal creates a
vacuum into which organised crime moves. The profits are worth billions of
pounds.
Legalisation forces organised crime from the drugs trade, starves them of
income and enables us to regulate and control the market (i.e. prescription,
licensing, laws on sales to minors, advertising regulations etc.)
3 Massively reduce crime
The price of illegal drugs is determined by a demand-led, unregulated market.
Using illegal drugs is very expensive. This means that some dependent users
resort to stealing to raise funds (accounting for 50% of UK property crime -
estimated at £2 billion a year). Most of the violence associated with illegal
drug dealing is caused by its illegality
Legalisation would enable us to regulate the market, determine a much lower
price and remove users need to raise funds through crime. Our legal system
would be freed up and our prison population dramatically reduced, saving
billions. Because of the low price, cigarette smokers do not have to steal to
support their habits. There is also no violence associated with the legal
tobacco market.
4 Drug users are a majority
Recent research shows that nearly half of all 15-16 year olds have used an
illegal drug. Up to one and a half million people use ecstasy every weekend.
Amongst young people, illegal drug use is seen as normal. Intensifying the
‘war on drugs’ is not reducing demand. In Holland, where cannabis laws are
far less harsh, drug usage is amongst the lowest in Europe.
Legalisation accepts that drug use is normal and that it is a social issue,
not a criminal justice one. How we deal with it is up to all of us to decide.
In 1970 there were 9000 convictions or cautions for drug offences and 15% of
young people had used an illegal drug. In 1995 the figures were 94 000 and
45%. Prohibition doesn’t work.
5 Provide access to truthful information and education
A wealth of disinformation about drugs and drug use is given to us by
ignorant and prejudiced policy-makers and media who peddle myths upon lies
for their own ends. This creates many of the risks and dangers associated
with drug use.
Legalisation would help us to disseminate open, honest and truthful
information to users and non-users to help them to make decisions about
whether and how to use. We could begin research again on presently illicit
drugs to discover all their uses and effects - both positive and negative.
6 Make all drug use safer
Prohibition has led to the stigmatisation and marginalisation of drug users.
Countries that operate ultra-prohibitionist policies have very high rates of
HIV infection amongst injecting users. Hepatitis C rates amongst users in the
UK are increasing substantially.
In the UK in the ‘80’s clean needles for injecting users and safer sex
education for young people were made available in response to fears of HIV.
Harm reduction policies are in direct opposition to prohibitionist laws.
7 Restore our rights and responsibilities
Prohibition unnecessarily criminalises millions of otherwise law-abiding
people. It removes the responsibility for distribution of drugs from policy
makers and hands it over to unregulated, sometimes violent dealers.
Legalisation restores our right to use drugs responsibly to change the way we
think and feel. It enables controls and regulations to be put in place to
protect the vulnerable.
8 Race and Drugs
Black people are over ten times more likely to be imprisoned for drug
offences than whites. Arrests for drug offences are notoriously discretionary
allowing enforcement to easily target a particular ethnic group. Prohibition
has fostered this stereotyping of black people.
Legalisation removes a whole set of laws that are used to disproportionately
bring black people into contact with the criminal justice system. It would
help to redress the over representation of black drug offenders in prison.
9 Global Implications
The illegal drugs market makes up 8% of all world trade (around £300 billion
a year). Whole countries are run under the corrupting influence of drug
cartels. Prohibition also enables developed countries to wield vast political
power over producer nations under the auspices of drug control programmes.
Legalisation returns lost revenue to the legitimate taxed economy and removes
some of the high-level corruption. It also removes a tool of political
interference by foreign countries against producer nations.
10 Prohibition doesn’t work
There is no evidence to show that prohibition is succeeding. The question we
must ask ourselves is, "What are the benefits of criminalising any drug?" If,
after examining all the available evidence, we find that the costs outweigh
the benefits, then we must seek an alternative policy.
Legalisation is not a cure-all but it does allow us to address many of the
problems associated with drug use, and those created by prohibition. The time
has come for an effective and pragmatic drug policy.
"If the (drug) problem continues advancing as it is at the moment, we’re
going to be faced with some very frightening options. Either you have a
massive reduction in civil rights or you have to look at some radical
solutions. The issue has to be, Can a criminal justice system solve this
particular problem?"
Commander John Grieve, Criminal Intelligence Unit, Scotland Yard, Channel 4
1997
Britain declared war on China to protect its opium trade. Now the war has
been declared on drug users in Britain.
http://www.transform-drugs.org.uk/10reason.htm
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths,
misdirections
and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and
minor
effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said,
CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
<A HREF="http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
