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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: More conviction, fewer convictions Tony Slinn The Guardian Saturday 16 Jun 2001 It's interesting that economics rather than common sense has driven the first serious wedge into the UK's nonsensical approach to recreational drugs and their users. Scotland Yard made no bones about it: it takes two officers around five hours, and costs the taxpayer around £10,000, to process a cannabis possession arrest, while magistrates routinely hand out fines of £10 or £20. What, then, of the claim that cannabis is the gateway to the hell of hard drugs use? Nick Davies' excellent article illustrates what security professionals in the police and customs and excise have known for years: there is no drugs "war", it was lost long ago when containerisation made it impossible to stem the flow of drugs into this country (around three containers in every 1,000 are thoroughly, physically searched, customs relying on intelligence reports to try to catch smugglers). Why politicians have to resort to fake statistics and rhetoric in the face of overwhelming evidence, rather than face electors with the facts, says much about the political bravery of those we've elected. The courage of conviction that, for example, finally did away with the equally nonsensical (and unenforceable) laws against homosexuality is sorely needed. If we spent the money currently wasted on trying to enforce drugs prohibition on treatment and drugs education, a far healthier and vastly more crime-free society would result. Britain's policy until 1971 was based on fact not demonisation and led the world. The past 30 years have been an aberration.
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