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UK: Clegg sparks anger after claiming drug abusers are 'victims' and should not be treated like criminals Jason Groves Daily Mail Tuesday 03 Mar 2015 He said those caught with drugs will not be prosecuted but face a fine Move covers powerful 'skunk' strain of cannabis, crack cocaine and heroin Deputy PM made announcement at an event with Richard Branson today Experts condemned move, saying it will push thousands into addiction All drug users should be treated as ‘victims’, Nick Clegg said today as he called for an end to prosecutions for possession. The Liberal Democrat leader said no-one should get a criminal record for drug-taking, regardless of whether they were taking so-called ‘soft’ drugs like marijuana or amphetamines or harder drugs like skunk cannabis, heroin or crack cocaine. Mr Clegg said drug users were ‘victims who should be treated with compassion and treatment and the best medical expertise’ rather than threatened with prosecution. He added: ‘We shouldn’t be treating the criminal Mr Bigs the same as the users. The latter are the victims of the former.’ Mr Clegg was immediately pulled up on his comments by the head of the respected think tank Chatham House think tank Robin Niblett, who suggested that many drug users are not victims at all, and take drugs because they enjoy them. Mr Niblett, who chaired the event where the policy was launched, said to Mr Clegg: ‘Are all users victims, or is there a large proportion of people who enjoy drugs and take them recreationally? It is a question of demand, rather than people who need to be treated for an addiction.’ Other experts have also questioned whether it is right to label all drug users as victims. Stuart Waiton, senior lecturer in sociology at Abertay University, said: ‘The problem we have today is that society finds it difficult to hold people to account for their actions. ‘The idea of moral responsibility is very weak because we assume that everyone’s a victim. ‘People don’t need medical support – unless their bodies are falling to bits – they need to take responsibility for their own actions.’ Mr Clegg received a public endorsement yesterday from Sir Richard Branson, who claimed that smoking powerful cannabis does not cause ‘any harm’. The Virgin tycoon, who yesterday boasted of smoking a spliff with his own son, shared a platform with Mr Clegg to promote the Lib Dems’ pledge. The policy would end prosecutions for people caught with small amounts of drugs for ‘personal use’. It would cover all drugs. The move was condemned by many drugs charities yesterday, and disowned by Downing Street – who said it flew in the face of evidence that drug use in Britain is falling. But Sir Richard, a long-time campaigner for drugs liberalisation, welcomed the initiative. He suggested that smoking skunk is no worse than having a glass or two of wine. A study by Kings College London last month found that 24 per cent of new cases of psychosis are linked to use of skunk. The report, by KCL's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, concluded that smoking skunk trebles the risk of someone having psychotic episode. But Sir Richard insisted the drug was relatively harmless. He said: ‘There's quite a lot of us who will have a drink occasionally. There will be 97 per cent of us who will not have a drink problem. There will be three per cent who will have a drink problem. ‘Of people taking hash, something like 99 per cent do not have a problem, maybe nearer 100 per cent of people taking hash. Take people taking skunk, it's slightly worse than alcohol. ‘But there are a lot of people doing it for recreational purposes and they enjoy doing it and it's not doing them any harm. ‘The same way that alcohol, if you do it in moderation, is not doing people any harm.’ Mr Clegg said it was ‘crackers’ that thousands of young people to blight the lives of thousands of young people by giving them a criminal record for drug possession. He accused the main parties of ‘bone-headed’ prejudice on the issue, and insisted that many Labour and Conservative MPs want to reform the drugs law. Mr Clegg insisted that the so-called ‘war on drugs’ was ‘not working’, although he was later forced to concede that official figures show drug use has been falling in Britain for years. Downing Street rejected Mr Clegg’s analysis and said it was not supported by David Cameron. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister and Nick Clegg take a different view on this. The PM thinks we have got the right approach and we see that in the fact that drug use is falling. A poll of 100 charities by the Centre for Social Justice last night found that 69 per cent of charities in the field would be concerned if the Government decriminalised cannabis. More than half (56 per cent) said cannabis use would increase if its use was decriminalised. Andy Cook, chief executive of charity Twenty Twenty, which works with disadvantaged young-people, said: ‘We are scared by the idea of liberalising cannabis laws. We work tirelessly to get the most disadvantaged and disengaged young people back into learning and to hold down jobs. If they are taking cannabis it makes it almost impossible to succeed – sapping their motivation and effectively tying our hands in the support we can give. ‘Cannabis is ruining the life opportunities of those we work with, so the idea that society would be better off if this stuff was decriminalised is crazy. Making it more easily available and more culturally acceptable will mean that more of our young people would take it. The result will be that more of our young people would fail to make the most of their potential.’ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2978340/Possessing-drug-not-criminal-offence-says-Clegg-Lib-Dem-leader-pledges-press-ahead-decriminalisation-plans-despite-warnings-wreck-lives.html
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