Source: Evening News, Norwich

Pub date: August 21 1997

Pub LTE: Call for drugs commission welcomed

Author: Jack Girling

CALL FOR DRUGS COMMISSION WELCOMED

May I congratulate Brian Iddon, MP for Bolton, who has bravely called for a Royal Commission on drugs, after the unforgivable shooting of a five-year old boy in his constituency.

Mr. Iddon has clearly seen the truth - that prohibition of drugs is a failure. The incidents of drug-related violence and other crime, which we are seeing in society, is identical to what happened in the USA during the days of Prohibition of Alcohol, and would doubtlessly be seen again if alcohol was again banned.

When a substance which is 'marketable', such as drugs, is made illegal, it simply creates opportunities for massive illegal profits and everything which goes alongside the protection of their businesses by the crooks and gangsters who produce and sell the drugs. Greediness for extra profit also means that the drugs can be cut with substances often more dangerous than the drugs themselves, causing unnecessary illness and death amongst users. These problems do not occur with alcohol and tobacco. Recently the Ambassador from Afghanistan, where the possession of drugs is not an offence, stated on TV that there was no problem with drug use in his country, the problems start where the law steps in and makes the supply illegal (that's called decriminalisation).

To have a society dependent on drugs (whether legal or illegal) is obviously undesirable, but heavy-handed tactics will never work.

Now that we have a new Government, maybe they will listen to their back-benchers, who may have less reason to hide their views than career politicians. Norwich's new Labour MP's, Dr. Ian Gibson and Mr. Charles Clarke, are, I am glad to say, amongst these back-benchers: both have written stating their support for a full and open debate on the issue of drugs. The sooner this debate happens the sooner positive and non-repressive action against drug-taking (i.e. true education and control), the sooner the crime rate will reflect the change.

Jack Girling