Monday 09, March 2009

"War" On Drugs Has Failed

International policies intended to curb the use of illegal drugs have turned two-bit smugglers into millionaire gangsters and have helped to fund international terrorism.

With government officials meeting in Vienna this week to set world drugs policy for the next 10 years, Chris Davies is calling for adoption of a radically different approach.

The Liberal Democrat says that the policies of prohibition demanded by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs have failed. He claims that they are directly responsible for a criminal trade believed to be worth £200 billion a year.

He said: "Chicago gangster Al Capone did well out of US alcohol prohibition in the 1920s, but legions of his kind now make a fortune out of 21st century drugs prohibition on a world-wide scale. They corrupt officials, undermine governments, and make a laughing stock of police forces across the world."

"The illegal drug trade also funds terrorist organisations and puts guns in the hands of those who would kill British soldiers in southern Afghanistan."

Davies claims that the imposition of criminal penalties is increasing the use of drugs and decreasing the chances of helping drug addicts who decide to quit. He argues that the huge financial gains to be made because drugs are illegal creates incentives for their harmful drug use.

The MEP says that the only way to defeat the criminals is to legalise some drugs, making them available for sale through closely supervised official outlets.

"I have yet to meet any young person who wants to become a drug addict," he said. "Drugs are generally harmful and health messages must be stepped up, but so long as criminals make money out of pushing their sale they have no chance of success.

"The current system of absolute prohibition is creating more drug users not less. If people wanting to quit smoking or drinking ran the risk of being locked up if they asked for help, the public would rightly think that politicians had taken leave of their senses. Some politicians are condemning people to a life of addiction so that they can pretend they are tough on crime.

"Politicians who call for continued use of tough penalties against drug users have pushed up prices and created the incentives for criminals. They must bear responsibility for the explosion in drug addiction over the past 40 years."