Media/News > Press Releases > House of Commons charity launch for drugs campaign

18/11/02

The newly formed charity Transform Drug Policy Institute (TDPI) will hold a charity launch from 11:00 am in the Jubilee Room at the House of Commons on Wednesday 20 November. The panel of speakers will include:

• Sir Keith Morris - former UK ambassador to Colombia
  
• Jenny Tonge MP – Lib-dem spokesperson on international development
  
• Rosie Boycott - former editor of the Independent on Sunday and Express
  
• Lord Mancroft - Conservative peer, chair of the Drug and Alcohol Foundation
  
• Fulton Gillespie - Parent whose son died from a heroin overdose
  
• Danny Kushlick - Director of the Transform Drug Policy Institute
  

A brief talk from each of the speakers will be followed by a Question and Answer session chaired by Guardian Columnist Polly Toynbee.

TDPI has developed as a result of the work of Transform, the campaign for effective drug policy. Transform is a national non-profit organisation that has led the campaign for reforming drug policy over the past five years.

TDPI director Danny Kushlick said: “Launching the new charity will give new impetus to the campaign for reform of UK drug policy. Drug policy will only stay high on the political agenda if outside organisations maintain the pressure on politicians to keep it there. Counterproductive policies are destined to be with us for as long as politicians are allowed to shy away from facing up to the reality of the abject failure of the status quo. TDPI will keep up that pressure and develop effective and humane policies based on evidence, by which drugs can be responsibly regulated and controlled.”

Sir Keith Morris added: “The debate over reforms to current drugs policy is of worldwide importance. Transform have played a key role in stimulating this debate and I am sure that the TDPI will continue to do so with the same vigour and conviction.”

Iain Banks, author and TDPI patron concluded: “The deeply harmful and absurd log-jam in the political consensus on drugs is finally starting to break up; at least partly due to the sense that Transform has talked over the last five years. I look forward to TDPI continuing to float humane and sane ideas.”

ENDS