The Lib Dem leader says attempts to criminalise drug use have failed
Nick Clegg will today say that the Liberal Democrats will bring forward plans to decriminalise drugs for personal use. In a joint press article with Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, Clegg will say that attempts to criminalise drug use had proved an ‘abject failure’:
“The idea of eradicating drugs from the world by waging a war on those who use them is fundamentally flawed for one simple reason: it doesn’t reduce drug taking,” they write in the Guardian today.
However Mary Brett of the charity Skunk Sense told the Daily Mail that there was a ‘severe contradiction’ between the proposed policy and Clegg’s concern with mental health.
So what do you think: is Nick Clegg right to call for the decriminalisation of all drugs? Has the so-called ‘war on drugs’ been the abject failure it is increasingly made out to have been? Have your say in our weekly survey. Results will be published early next week.
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14 Responses to “Poll: Is Nick Clegg right to call for the decriminalisation of all drugs?”
Guest
And the excuses mount – you’re trying to say your views are “the country’s” again!
You *refuse* to think about it, as you pound the same old lines about “chaos”, etc.
Gary Scott
Decriminalisation can only be successful as part of a greater policy on helping those with addiction problems. Instant access to addiction services is required. Carrot instead of stick and a recognition that, for some, support with drug replacement therapies will be required over the long term. Look towards harm reduction and end the stigmatisation that goes on in wider society, and also throughout the NHS. ALL drugs should be decriminalised but not legalised. Strong cannabis can cause mental health problems, it is NOT harmless. Too often opinions are formed with prejudices, not fact.
uglyfatbloke
OTH people with serious drug issues (heroin for example) commit crime to pay for their habit because Heroin is so massively expensive, which is totally a product of government policies for fifty years.
BrS
The modern strong cannabis is largely a myth, and the alleged danger is based on the myth that users all and always go for maximum. It’s like arguing against whiskey based on believing people always down a whole bottle of whatever alcohol source they have.
All drugs should be legalised.
BrS
Skunk Sense are also a myth-perpetuating organisation. The name alone is enough to give it away, but reading their site confirms it. It says a lot that they find it necessary to use the tired old war on drugs scaremongering to make their case. They also have rubbish like making up excuses for not wanting to try some drug. Hell I’ve taught my children to be willing to say no to something they don’t want to do, and conversely yes, even if it might get them vilified. In other words do what they think is right.