>Sender: >To: >X-Original-Message-ID: <25e501bf3b71$4d857b80$9acf69cf@pacbell.net> >From: "Peter McWilliams" >Subject: London Times on Drug War failure >Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 12:27:20 -0800 >X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 >X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 > > >Pubdate: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 >Source: Times, The (UK) >Copyright: 1999 Times Newspapers Ltd >Contact: letters@the-times.co.uk >Website: http://www.the-times.co.uk/ > >AUTHOR: PAUL FLYNN MP, Vice-chair, Parliamentary Drugs Misuse Group > >TIME FOR AN INTELLIGENT DEBATE ON DRUGS BAN > >JOHN HUMPHRYS (Comment, last week) joins the swelling chorus crying >that the drugs tsar has no clothes. The tsar seeks to postpone any >intelligent comment on drugs for 10 years. Then we will have proof >that the government's strategy of prohibition has failed again. Also >in 10 years the tsar will have retired, Tony Blair will be Lord >Sedgefield and at least 1,000 avoidable deaths from heroin will have >occurred. > >This week there is new evidence that the United Kingdom has the worst >drugs problems in Europe. We continue to imitate the drug solutions of >the United States, which has the worst drug problems in the world. > >It's time to blame timid politicians who refuse to learn the lesson >that prohibition kills. The irresponsible deadly criminal trade in >drugs can be collapsed only by replacing it with a regulated licensed >market that can be effectively policed and controlled. > >Humphrys need not despair, parliament is not entirely silent. On the >day of the Queen's speech 13 backbenchers in early day motion number >12 said: ''That this House regrets that the present government will >suffer the fate of all other governments of the past 30 years by >ending their term of office with illegal drug problems at a higher >level than when they were elected; and calls for a fresh judgment of >the futility of drugs prohibition, and consideration of the successes >of policies of regulated decriminalisation of soft drugs and the >treatment of addicts as patients not criminals.'' > >MPs who continue to deny an intelligent debate must share the guilt >for Britain's increasing drug tragedies. > > >================================================================ > >This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to > the mailing list . >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: