Media/News > Press Releases > 28.08.07

Transform announce new publication: 'AFTER THE WAR ON DRUGS: TOOLS FOR THE DEBATE'

News release
28.08.07
no embargo

Transform Drug Policy Foundation are pleased to announce the publication of a new guide to making the case for drug policy reform, produced for parliamentarians, civil servants, media, and the NGO community. Transform Drug Policy Foundation are the UK's leading independent voice for drug policy reform, with ten years' experience of debating the issues in local, national and international politics and media.

The new guide, titled 'After the War on Drugs, Tools for the Debate', is designed to:

• Reframe the debate on drug law reform, moving it beyond stale ideological arguments into substantive, rational engagement.
• Provide the language and analysis to challenge the prohibitionist status quo, and to make the case for evidence based alternatives

Author Steve Rolles said:

“I hope this new guide will show policy makers that drug law reform is no longer something to be afraid of. We have shown how, if the case is made clearly and sensitively, the public will both understand and support the position. This guide demonstrates how to achieve this in a simple and systematic way, paving the way for a more productive debate and more just and effective drug policy in the future”

The guide is now available for review:

• Free to download online in pdf format from the Transform website: www.tdpf.org.uk
• Print review copies are available on request: Please email info@tdpf.org.uk including mailing details.

Comment on After the War on Drugs: Tools for the Debate

"Transform continues to lead the debate on drug law reform. This guide will be invaluable for policy makers, enabling them to engage on this vital issue with confidence and clarity."

Polly Toynbee , Columnist, the Guardian

"If there is only one thing that I learned from over 30 years policing it is that our current approach to tackling the illegal drugs market isn't working, and that debate on policy alternatives is needed today more than ever. The Transform guide to the debate will therefore be of great interest to everyone in the criminal justice system, and to the politicians who oversee it."

Tom Lloyd , Former Chief Constable, Cambridgeshire

"Transform presents the most clear-headed and rational approach to the issue of drugs. It cuts through the fear and prejudice by using evidence-based arguments."

Mary Ann Sieghart , writer and broadcaster, former assistant editor, The Times

"The criminal justice approach to addressing the problems of drugs in society has not been a success. A mature debate on pragmatic alternatives is urgently needed and Transform's new publication very helpfully sets out how to take the reform position forward."

Baroness Vivien Stern , Senior Research Fellow, International Centre for Prison Studies

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