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UK: Hellawell claims 'good progress' in drugs war

Ananova

Thursday 02 Aug 2001

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Drug tsar Keith Hellawell has published his final annual report as
campaigners claimed the Government's policy on cannabis and other illegal
substances is faltering.

Keith Hellawell, appointed as a US-style anti-drugs co-ordinator after the
1997 election, has been sidelined since David Blunkett took over as Home
Secretary.

The report says there has been good progress on the aims of the
Government's 10-year drugs strategy.

Mr Hellawell said: "We still have a lot to do - but the report shows what
can be achieved when we work together to tackle the drugs problem,
especially the problem of class A drugs, the drugs which do most harm."

Seizures of hard drugs rose by 4% according to figures for 1999, the latest
data available, and the number of people dealt with in Britain for
supplying class A drugs jumped more than 17%, he said.

Last month Mr Blunkett issued the clearest signal yet that policy could
eventually change on the legalisation of cannabis, calling for an "adult,
intelligent" debate on the issue, echoing comments made earlier by Mr
Hellawell.

Mr Blunkett has already ordered police to concentrate on targeting heroin
and crack cocaine dealers rather than cannabis users.

Danny Kushlick, director of drug law reform campaign Transform, said the
10-year drugs strategy had failed and Labour's policy was in crisis.

"The Government's flagship drug policy is in tatters," he said. "The
newly-demoted drug tsar publishes his final annual report amid an
unprecedented clamour for alternatives to totally failed policies.

"For years now the Government has announced that the national strategy is
working and that it is just a question of time before we all see the
results. Meanwhile though, the price of street drugs continues to fall,
purity rises and drug-related crime spirals out of control."

 

 

 

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