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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: "Drugs Czar" rejects legalisation calls
Reuters
Thursday 02 Aug 2001 LONDON (Reuters) - "Drugs Czar" Keith Hellawell will produce his final report on drug use in Britain today and reject calls for widespread legalisation. Decriminalisation of drugs has traditionally been a subject no mainstream politician would touch. But earlier this month Home Secretary David Blunkett signalled the government would at least consider the arguments, calling for and "an adult, intelligent debate" specifically on cannabis -- a drug used regularly by millions of Britons. Hellawell, a former police chief who will be moved into a part-time role, said there was no inevitability about a cannabis user becoming involved in harder drugs. His emphasis had been on heroin and cocaine -- the drugs that do people most damage. "I've never talked about gateway drugs," he told BBC radio. "But there is evidence that shows the more you use these substances...then the more likely you are to be involved in harder substances." He defended his record since being appointed as anti-drugs co-ordinator in 1997, saying overall drugs use appeared to be levelling off although there were "worrying trends" with cocaine and in drug use among young people. But Hellawell set his face firmly against legalisation, arguing that unless you made all substances freely available, there would always be a market for criminals. "The only way you would take the whole thing out of the criminal justice system is to actually say we will legalise everything and make it available to everybody," he said. "Even the most fervent legalisers would not suggest that these substances should be available to young people. Once you control and restrict in any way you are still going to get the attraction and you are going to get the criminal element involved."
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