Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:


After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.

Letter: Discrepancy in the values of drugs seized

Hugh Robertson

The Scotsman

Wednesday 20 May 1998

Sir, - I am curious as to how the Strathclyde Police arrive at their figures for the values of drugs seized from dealers. According to your report (19 May), on Monday, Strathclyde Police seized "enough heroin for 7,000 deals", which, they claim, had "an estimated street value of UKP250,000". This works out at about UKP35 a deal.

According to an earlier report (15 April), Keith Hellawell, the drugs tsar, said: "Wraps of heroin are being sold for as little as UKP2". There is more than a slight discrepancy in these figures.

Is it a case of the Strathclyde Police grossly exaggerating their seizures of drugs to justify their existence? After all, 7000 deals won't go very far in Glasgow, where there are thousands of addicts, each requiring several doses per day.

In reality, all the police have done is to take 38 dealers off the streets, which will allow 38 other addicts to step into their shoes. At the same time, they have deceived your reporter, deliberately, so that he will report this incident in a good light, rather than question the huge expenditure being squandered in trying to prop up a failed system of prohibition.

Hugh Robertson
Barrack Street, Perth

 

 

 

After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back. 




This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.

Feel free to link to this page!