|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||
|
July 05 TRANSFORM NEWS “Prohibition is the problem, not the solution” Already over half way through 2005 and July has been busy as ever. You should have received the July news special detailing Tony Blair’s Strategy Unit drug report leak. Transform has been hard at work disseminating the report to policy makers throughout UK and European Parliaments and civil servants. ( http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Newsletter.htm if you’ve not already seen it – and there’s more detail elsewhere on the website – see: latest news). This month has also seen a major report published by the Department of Trade and Industry predicting future developments in drugs and society, which Transform contributed to. Finally Congratulations to Danny (Transform Director) who has been on paternity leave following the arrival of his second daughter. As ever we would encourage you to support Transform financially as well as by becoming active campaigners for reform. We have set up an online direct debit service so you can start making a small regular donation (or large if you are feeling rich/generous) in seconds. Transform has to raise all our income independently and it is an ongoing struggle. If you can help - please do. Thanks.
Contents ----1. UK NEWS----- *Foresight group publish report *British failure in Afghanistan - US 'disappointed' *Cannabis conference *Fresh magic mushrooms become class A *National Links
---- 2. INTERNATIONAL NEWS ---- *Senlis Council Seminar *Beckley publication on drugs and crime *Supporting Iraq veterans with drug problems… *Jamaican Parliament may consider cannabis decriminalisation (again) *Encod’s map of European drug policy *More medical marijuana dispensaries than McDonalds in San Fransisco *Argentina considers depenalisation of small amounts of drugs possession *International Links
----3. WHAT TRANSFORM HAS BEEN UP TO ----- *Steve’s been on holiday, Danny’s been on paternity leave – but we’ve still managed a lot… *Publications
---- 4. WHAT YOU CAN DO ---- * Contact your new MP * Help with our fundraising!
**Foresight drugs project concludes Foresight is one of the Government's science based think-tanks and a part of the Department for Trade & Industry. They have undertaken a report that considers both licit and illicit drugs within the same framework. They also (unusually) consulted the public about the future of drugs in society, exploring attitudes towards four classes of psychoactive substances (including recreational drugs and cognition enhancers) with a number of groups including people with or caring for those with ADHD, school children and users of illicit drugs. Read the reports here: (You may have to copy and paste the address as it’s long and falls off the 2 nd line) Coverage in the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/lastword/story/0,,1532364,00.html ----- ** Afghanistan - US 'disappointed' at British failure to stem opium trade (see International news below for more on Afghanistan) Afghanistan’s drug issues have been back in the news as the UK’s glaring failure to deliver on its promises to address the countries drug related problems have come back to haunt the Prime Minister. “The UK is in the middle of a three-year term leading US, European and local forces in the fight to eradicate Afghanistan's drug trade, which resurged after the collapse of the Taliban in 2001. But to British officials' embarrassment, the level of opium cultivation during their stint at the helm has reached an all-time high of nearly half a million acres. Washington, however, has expressed reservations in the past 18 months over Britain's "softly-softly" approach, which emphasises providing opium farmers with alternative livelihoods” (The Telegraph). The problem, of course, is that eradication of an entire crop in a country the size of Afghanistan is completely impossible. As the recent leaked report from Tony Blair’s own strategy unit illustrated, such eradication has never worked anywhere despite the vast military resources being deployed. Even if all the opium production could be stopped in Afghanistan, the realities of the market would simply move the production to other regions in central Asia or elsewhere. That the Government keeps repeating its commitment to the goal of complete eradication, despite (as the No.10 report makes abundantly clear) knowing full well it is a completely futile and even counterproductive enterprise, should be a serious concern for us all. We can only assume that there are bigger geo-political games in motion - relating to our relationship with the US. Full Telegraph report http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/07/17/wafg17.xml Further reading on this issue: - Transform briefing on International drug policy (Again you may need to copy and paste this address into your browser as the end of the address seems to fall off!) - Transnational Institute drugs and democracy page (high class reports on key international drug issues) - Release report on Afghanistan (pdf format) http://www.release.org.uk/news/Afghanistan%20-%20Debate1.pdf -----
**Cannabis conference http://www.cannabisconference.org.uk/ This is coming up in September. Maybe you fancy going? Check the website for details. -----
**Fresh magic mushrooms become a class A drug On July 18th fresh magic mushrooms moved from being completely legal to possess, sell and consume, to being a Class A drug with in the same legal classification as heroin and cocaine. This means that possessing magic mushrooms will be punishable with up to 7 years in prison, and supplying them punishable with an unlimited fine and up to life in prison. The change follows the rushed enactment of the Drugs Bill in the ‘wash up' week before the General Election. The Mushroom Clause in the Bill, Clause 21, came into force at 00.00 AM on the morning of Monday 18th of July. Transform spokesperson Steve Rolles said: “This is an ill thought out piece of drug war legislation tacked onto the end of the Drugs Bill at the last minute. It seems to be the result of Government embarrassment at the emergence of mushroom shops, particularly in areas such as Camden. There has been no meaningful consultation on this move that is not supported by any of the leading drug organisations. It is clearly an attempt to appear ‘tough on drugs' rather than being the result of rational evidence based thinking.” Read the complete press release here: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/MediaNews_PressReleases_15_07_05_%20Magic_Mushroom_Class_A.htm (Again you may need to copy and paste this address into your browser)
---Useful sources of UK drug news-- http://www.drinkanddrugs.net - Drink & Drug News http://www.thehempire.com - Cannabis news (and wider drug issues), quality free monthly news email and great website. The best and most up to date of the cannabis oriented sites. http://www.dailydose.net - excellent daily/weekly round up of news (free subscription) , links and a peerless searchable UK drug news archive. www.crew2000.co.uk and www.palad.org.uk - affiliates to Transform and well worth a look to see related campaigns around the country. The Royal Society of Arts are undertaking a project on drugs. For more see: http://www.thersa.org/projects/drugs.asp
---- 2. INTERNATIONAL NEWS ---- **Senlis Council Seminar The Senlis Council organised an event on Afghanistan opium production in the House of Commons. They promoted a reformist agenda suggesting that buying afghan opium for medical use (there is a global shortage) rather than seeking to eliminate it, would be a useful way forward. The accompanying report and publicity got quite a lot of attention including an editorial in the NYT: “Afghanistan is clearly in the clutches of this huge illicit (drug) economy, which reinforces the rule of warlords and criminal trafficking networks and structurally impairs the way to stability and economic development. The country runs the risk of becoming a failed state if the illicit drug issue is not effectively addressed very soon”. For some solution ideas read here: http://www.senliscouncil.net/modules/afghanistan_initiatives/feasibility -----
**Beckley Foundation: new publication on drugs and crime An overview of the Beckley Foundation’s report: http://www.internationaldrugpolicy.net/reports/BeckleyFoundation_Report_05.pdf -----
**”Support the Troops; especially when they come back with substance abuse problems.” The US based Drug Policy Alliance wonder about the possible problems that may very probably result when the troops come home: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0802-21.htm -----
**Jamaican Parliament may consider cannabis decriminalisation (again) Jamaican Government officials are once again promising to consider legislation to reform Jamaica's cannabis laws. If a bill is introduced, legislative hearings could take place as early as this Autumn. Similar pronouncements from government officials in 2002 and 2004 failed to result in legislative action from Parliament, despite a 2001 report from the National Commission on Ganja recommending that it depenalize possession and use of small quantities of cannabis for adults. Read more from NORML here: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4335 -----
**ENCOD map of drug policy in Europe Visit ENCOD’s (the European Council for Drugs and Development) map of Europe for differences in drug policies around Europe. http://www.encod.org/rap-kaarteuropa.html ----
**There are more than twice as many medical marijuana dispensaries in San Francisco as there are MacDonald's. As a city official states, there is clearly more demand for medical cannabis than Big Macs (and sometimes the two go hand in hand). http://www.thehempire.com/index.php/cannabis/news/4224 ---- **Depenalisation for drug possession moves nearer in Argentina - Argentina: Federal Judge Eduardo Freiler has come out in favour of depenalising possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use. This is now punishable by up to two years' imprisonment. Seeing the massive upsurge in drug consumption, existing methods 'have proved futile and it is irrational to persist in them'. Taken from Liafax’s newsletter: sign up by emailing: Bulletin Antiprohibitionist liafax@radicalparty.org ---- **International Links -Encod - European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies. Check out their ‘latest bulletin’ http://www.encod.org/BULLETIN7.pdf -Drug Policy Alliance -- the leading US drug policy reform organisation http://www.drugpolicy.org/homepage.cfm -DRCNet – a major educational and advocacy organization and network of citizens working for reform of US drug laws and an end to prohibition: http://stopthedrugwar.org/index.shtml -Keeping the door open Canada An event happening in October entitled: ‘Beyond Drug Prohibition.’ For more see here: http://www.keepingthedooropen.com -The International Anti-Prohibitionist League: (the are politically affiliated to the Transnational Radical Party) http://www.antiprohibitionist.org/index.html They also have a weekly e-mail bulletin. Subscribe here: http://www.radicalparty.org/newsletter/?p=subscribe Transnational Institute Drugs and Democracy Project The TNI have also recently produced a debate paper on opium entitled “Downward spiral, banning opium in Afghanistan and Burma”. To view click here: http://www.tni.org/reports/drugs/debate12.pdf
----3. WHAT TRANSFORM HAS BEEN UP TO ----- - Steve’s been on holiday, Danny’s been on paternity leave – but : **The No.10 Strategy Unit drug report briefing is online: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_General_Strategy_Unit_Drugs_Report.htm and **The Options for Control report has been translated into Spanish and is available to download as a pdf from here: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_General_AftertheWaronDrugsSpanishReport.htm Coming up - our new publicity leaflet will be out SOON! - a new briefing on ecstasy policy is in its final edit, and will be online in the next few weeks ---- A Transform volunteer has been featured in ‘Rethink’ (mental health charity) magazine. Read her article on cannabis, mental health and legalisation here: http://uk.msnusers.com/Helensbitsandpieces/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&Pho ---- As ever we have been working closely with various media - here is a sample of what’s been going on in July: 1 st July - Daily Mirror “World on Drugs” - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15687027&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=world-on-drugs-name_page.html (Transform quote) Transform was quoted extensively when No.10 strategy unit drug report was released: 3rd July - Observer SU report - http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1520157,00.html 4th July – Guardian - Strategy Unit Report & Lord Birt - http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1520623,00.html 4th July – the Independent - “Birt: war on drugs failed to beat crime” http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article296705.ece and again when details of the full report appeared in the Mirror and the Guardian, with leader editorials: 5th July - The Guardian - “Revealed: how drugs war failed” - http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1521479,00.html 5th July - The Guardian – ‘Burying Bad News’ – Leader. http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,1521223,00.html 5th July - Daily Mirror - “Addicts’ £27k drug cost” http://www.mirror.co.uk/archive/archive/tm_objectid=15699585%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html (transform quote) 5th July - Voice of the Daily Mirror - “Madness on drugs” - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/voiceofthemirror/tm_objectid=15699599%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html Other coverage 5th July - The Daily Telegraph - “Drug policies a failure, says report” - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/07/05/ndrug05.xml (Transform quote) July edition: Drink & Drugs News – article by Steve Rolles: http://www.drinkanddrugs.net/features/july2505/number10andukdrugpolicy.pdf ---- *For help with raising awareness through the media see below and the ‘What you can do page’ on the TDPF site here; http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Parliament_WhatYouCanDo.htm For more advice please call the Transform office on 0117 941 5810. Send in your media tips, warnings, successes and failures - we’ll include them here. Charities Aid Foundation Online Giving service: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/AboutUs_TdpfFunding.htm Please support Transform by making a donation at our secure online donation page administered by the Charities Aid Foundation. Donations can be one off or regular. Please give generously - we need your support. (Transform relies solely on donations from individuals and charitable trusts to maintain its work) **Publications -After the War on Drugs - Options for Control – in Spanish and English! Transform’s groundbreaking report examines the key themes in the drug policy reform debate, detailing how legal regulation of drug markets will operate and providing a roadmap and time line for reform. The report can be downloaded as a PDF from: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_General_AftertheWaronDrugsReport.htm For printed copies please contact info@tdpf.org.uk Write to your new MP/councillor and ask them their views on the current drug policy. Ask their opinion on the war on drugs, the fact that it isn’t working and what they think should be done. They have a duty to reply, and then you can begin a dialogue. Remember always to be polite however much you may disagree with them! Get to work on your new MP. Book a visit to their surgery - you can meet with them and discuss any issue that you fancy. Its suprisingly easy! One of our volunteers visited his MP this week, who just happened to be Charles Clarke – the Home Secretary! The meeting was very positive, and various Transform materials were passed on. Transform provided a detailed briefing and training before the visit. Please call us for help.. Do you know who your MP is?! They may have changed since the election. Find out here: http://www.locata.co.uk/commons Try writing/e-mailing your local paper or a national paper. Look out for drug related stories in newspapers (and other publications) and respond in the letters pages. Here’s evidence to show it works: we promise ‘DJ Welch’ is not a put up job, he wrote to the Observer of his own volition: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,1451131,00.html -Visit online discussion & news forums and get involved in debates – post links to Transform web resources - this has a secondary benefit of raising our profile on search sites like Google. If you find online discussion forums where people are discussing drug policy - send us the links and we will include them in the next newsletter. Please pass this onto your friends - subscribers can join by visiting: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Contact.htm For other ideas and more details on what you can do see : http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Parliament_WhatYouCanDo.htm ---- For more information and analysis: http://www.tdpf.org.uk Transform Drug Policy Foundation is a registered charity no: 1100518 The organisations, agencies, and information linked from http://www.tdpf.org.uk represent a variety of viewpoints from across the drug policy field. Transform is not responsible for the contents of sites linked on this newsletter, and does not automatically endorse linked information. Any suggested additions or corrections please email info@tdpf.org.uk If you have received this mail in error, or if would like to unsubscribe from the list, just click reply/e-mail info@tdpf.org.uk with ‘unsubscribe me‘ as the subject. If you know anyone who might enjoy this newsletter please pass it on. New subscribers can join by visiting http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Contact.htm Fran Kellett Transform Drug Policy Foundation Easton Business Centre Felix Road Easton Bristol BS5 0HE email: fran@tdpf.org.uk Telephone: +44 0117 941 5810 Facsimile: +44 0117 941 5809 website: http://www.tdpf.org.uk To subscribe to Transform's newsletter visit: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Contact.htm This document accompanying this transmission may contain confidential information, which may be legally privileged. This information is intended for the use of the named individual. You are notified that any disclosure, copying and distribution is prohibited. If you receive this message in error please delete it.
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|