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Media news > Press Releases > 'Tackling drugs Day' is propaganda
Date: May 19 2006 On Tuesday 23 May the Home Office launches its Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Day to encourage local Drug Action Teams to announce their successes. Transform Drug Policy Foundation suggests that local initiatives do little more than mitigate the worst effects of the Government's continued commitment to prohibition, despite mounting evidence of the catastrophic harms that it causes through the creation of illegal markets. The new Home Secretary apparently agrees. On the Jeremy Vine programme in November 2004, Dr Reid (as Health Secretary) announced to Radio 2 listeners : “Prohibition doesn't work, as the US found out many years ago.” Transform Director, Danny Kushlick said: “This is a propaganda push from a Government that has lost support for its failing drug strategy and is desperate to convince the press and public that its policies are working. “The Prime Minister's own Strategy Unit Drugs Report shows that enforcing the drug laws, with regard to production and trafficking, creates most of the crime problems they are trying to reduce. It is the price hike that accompanies the prohibition of any demand-led commodity trade that attracts organised crime and forces addicts to offend to support their habits. ‘The Home Secretary said as much when he let slip the fact that' prohibition doesn't work' in response to a question from a radio 2 listener about banning tobacco. Prohibition should no more be an option to control drugs than it should be for tobacco and alcohol “The fact is that most urban communities are blighted by the Government's failure to grapple with the underlying problems that lead people to misuse drugs, combined with the fact that, by prohibiting drugs, it has gifted control of the entire market to violent criminals and unregulated dealers. “As the Government's drugs web site makes abundantly clear, This day is an exercise to ‘reclaim the agenda'. Specifically to reclaim it from those, like Transform, who believe that the policy of prohibition is causing many of the problems that the drug strategy seeks to solve. “Rather than waste valuable effort resources on a pointless propaganda campaign, we look forward to a time when the Government genuinely debates alternatives to the current failings of prohibition, including the possibility of legal control and regulation of currently uncontrolled drugs.” ENDS ---------------- Notes for Editors Transform's briefings on the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit drugs reports (phase 1 and 2) can be read here: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_General_Strategy_Unit_Drugs_Report.htm http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_General_No_10_Phase_2_Birt_report_briefing.htm The full reports (phase 1 and 2) can be seen at: --------------- Tackling Drugs campaign strategy From www.drugs.gov.uk : “Time to reclaim the agenda and to move the debate on It is up to us to do more to tell our communities about the enormous levels of investment, work and effort that makes a tangible and direct difference to the safety and wellbeing of their neighbourhood, their families and their friends. Strong and empowered communities can and will work with us to resist drugs and the harm and destruction they bring. Of course, there is more to be done and we share the ambition of our communities to see further reductions in crime, greater protection and opportunity for young people and justice brought down on the dealers. If we can show them how much has been achieved; we can ask them to work with us to do more.” --------------- Even the Government admits that it has no way of knowing if its efforts are successful. The following is from www.drugs.gov.uk : “Hard drugs are now cheaper and more easily available in our communities than at any time before? Changes in prices may be due to a number of factors; for example, reduced or increased demand, successful enforcement activity, reduced or increased supply, variations in purity and the willingness of dealers to decrease their profit margins. Not all of these are within the direct influence of the Government or enforcement agencies, nor does any fluctuation in price necessarily indicate the effectiveness of enforcement.”
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