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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Editorial: Blunkett's New Steps In The Drugs Dance
The Scotsman
Thursday 11 Jul 2002 THE decision to reclassify cannabis as a Class C drug is cosmetic and hardly such a momentous event as to justify the rather self-serving resignation of the former "drugs czar", Keith Hellawell. The latter claims he has quit his current role as a government adviser - his official post as "czar" disappeared a year ago - in protest at a supposed softening by the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, on drug taking. Since Mr Blunkett also raised the maximum sentence for dealers in class B and C drugs from five years to 14 years, this charge hardly rings true. If anything, Mr Blunkett continues to exhibit the perennial dance of British politicians around the drugs issue. This usually involves one step forward towards recognising the widespread use of drugs in society. And two steps back, guarding against opening the government up to hysterical political attacks by the likes of Mr Hellawell - witness the almost gratuitous increase in jail terms for dealing in cannabis. Yesterday's step forward is Mr Blunkett's signal that henceforth the government will concentrate medical, social and police resources on combating the drugs that cause most of the personal damage and criminal activity - heroin and crack cocaine. The welcome reclassification of cannabis keeps it a controlled substance but puts it on a par with anti-depressants and steroids - nowhere near the same threat to society as heroin and crack. The police will therefore retain the power to arrest cannabis users in certain "aggravated" cases, such as when the drug is smoked near children. So the real policy change - Mr Hellawell to the contrary - has less to do with cannabis and more to do with the focusing of priorities on hard drugs. If truth were told, Mr Hellawell had become a political dinosaur and his well-timed resignation was his way of revenge. He cites one of his reasons for resigning as his growing aversion to the government spin. But the whole concept of a drugs czar was spin incarnated. This was invented in the government's early days when it was trying to deflect charges of liberalism on drug matters. Result: Mr Hellawell was hired to preach the "just say no" message and imply an implacable war against drug taking in any form. Alas, Mr Hellawell had no great impact on social behaviour, especially that of the young. In fact, his bombastic demeanour could well have had a negative result. Last year, Mr Blunkett found the courage to pursue a more realistic policy direction and Mr Hellawell was quietly sidelined. The lesson is that gimmicks such as drugs czars are usually a diversion, unless they truly represent someone with executive powers and a serious budget, neither of which Mr Hellawell possessed. Meantime, can the government now co-ordinate the right mix of social, economic and police tactics in the war against hard drugs? This needs a combination of consistent micro interventions and subtle propaganda, not the political chimera of one simple fix. Something of this kind of policy is already emerging in Scotland with the "Know the Score" campaign, the creation of the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency, and the welcoming of the reclassification of cannabis by the Scottish Executive. In this sensible context, Mr Hellawell's criticism is an unwelcome and irrelevant diversion.
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