BBC Radio 4's Law In Action broadcast a special programme devoted to the drug laws on Tuesday 24 July.
Danny Kushlick, Transform Director, appeared on the studio panel. The Drugs Minister, Vernon Coaker, declined to take part. Is this perhaps because defending the status quo under close scrutiny would have been impossible?
Below is the BBC blurb to accompany the programme.
Drug Laws
It's an unpalatable fact that the UK has the highest level of dependent drug use, and among the highest level of recreational drug use in Europe.
Our drug problem worsened steadily during the 70's, 80's and 90's and yet the drug laws which are largely governed by The Misuse of Drugs Act, is now 36 years old.
When the Act came into force in 1971, there were a just few thousand heroin users in the UK. It's now estimated that there are more than 280,000 in England and 50,000 in Scotland.
Tomorrow, (July 25th), the Home Office publishes its long awaited consultation on its drug strategy, and on today's programme we examine whether our current laws and criminal justice system are working effectively?
Joining Clive to discuss that are:
Danny Kushlick is the Director of the Drugs Charity, Transform, a think tank committed to reform of the current laws and policy on drugs; Diane Mark is chair of the bench at Wimbledon Magistrates Court and Paul Hayes is head of the National Treatment Agency, a body created by the Government in 2001 to ensure that there is more, better and fairer treatment available to all who need it.
Other contributors to the programme:
Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, "Paul," a former drug addict and offender, Greg Foxsmith, a criminal lawyer working in London, Deputy-Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Howard Roberts (and also representing the Association of Chief Police officers on drugs issues),
The Drugs Minister, Vernon Coaker, declined to take part.
3 comments:
Congratulations to Mr Kushlick on a great performance on the programme, if I may say so. I was quite surprised at the opinion of Paul Hayes — he was anti-liberalisation, despite openly admitting that most drug use is not harmful and that it's problem drug use we should be focusing on. How can he justify his position of criminalising mostly harmless drug users?
and why the heck are we paying Vernon Coaker when he is too frit, or too lazy to appear on a serious R4 discussion about his area of expertise?
Its the same reason why ministers are often unavailable for the Today programme, they'd have to answer questions that would either make them look stupid or incompetent.
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