NORTH WEST EURO-MP DEMANDS RETHINK OF DRUGS LAW

9.18.25am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 4th Aug 2005

A North West Euro-MP is demanding a rethink on Britain's failed drugs

strategy, which he claims is putting billions of pounds into the pockets of

criminals and funding terrorist activities.

Writing in this month's Brussels-based political magazine The Sprout,

Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies says that prohibition of illegal drugs

should be replaced by government regulation.

His comments follow publication of a report in which the prime minister's

special adviser, Lord Birt, concluded that there is an "inexhaustible"

supply of drug traffickers and policies designed to cut the supply of

illegal drugs into the UK since the early 1990's have had no significant

impact. Real prices of heroin and cocaine have halved over the past ten

years, indicating a significant increase in their availability.

The cost of crimes committed by heroin and cocaine addicts to fund their

habit is said to amount to £16 billion per year in the UK alone. In his

report to Tony Blair the prime minister's adviser claims that this figure

would actually increase if more traffickers were arrested and drug prices

rose.

Lord Birt concludes that government interventions against drug dealers

amount to "a cost of business, rather than a substantive threat to the

industry's viability".

The dilemma for lawmakers, claims Chris Davies, is that the greater the

effort made by police and customs officers the more profitable the illegal

drugs business will become.

Mr Davies writes: "Taking a small percentage of the drugs off the market

simply forces up the price, adding to the already vast profits made by the

traffickers and providing a stronger financial incentive for others to get

involved. It's a vicious circle."

The MEP, who leads the British Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament,

claims that governments across Europe have "ignored realities" and failed to

face up to the problem.

He said: "Far from preventing the use of illegal drugs the policy of

prohibition creates the profits which drive the growth of the trade. It

leads to the corruption of our institutions and provides funds for

terrorism.

"These views used to be controversial but now that the prime minister's

personal adviser says that existing policies are doomed to failure it is

surely time for all responsible politicians to consider whether alternative

strategies could do more to curb crime, reduce harm and save lives".

Mr Davies believes the introduction of a legally regulated market in drugs

like cannabis and heroin could reduce crime affecting society and release

huge sums of money to pay for drug awareness programmes and rehabilitation

schemes.

He said: "Taken in excessive quantities all drugs are dangerous and no-one

wants a free-for-all but many of the problems stem directly from the

criminality involved. At present, drug users can never be entirely sure

just what they are putting into their bodies."

"The debate now should be about how to destroy the criminal trade by

providing for regulated legal sources while discouraging giving the

impression that this would create a green light for drugs use.

"I accept that it will not be an easy balance to achieve but critics should

first explain why many decades of criminal sanctions against drugs has

simply led to an explosion in their use."

In his report to the prime minister, Lord Birt states that more than three

million people in the UK use illicit drugs every year. He compares the 749

deaths annually from heroin and methadone misuse with the 6,000 deaths from

alcohol and 100,000 from tobacco.