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Christmas Special 05 TRANSFORM NEWS Welcome to a special Christmas edition of the Transform Newsletter A full December update will be sent out in early January, but we have a brilliant new addition to the website that we thought you’d be interested to know about before then. The ‘Supporter’s Archive’ is a collection of quotes collected by Transform over the past 8 years, from a range of public figures – critiquing the drug war and/or in support of drug policy and law reform. Check it out here: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/MediaNews_Reform_supporters.htm The press release is below providing more details and a selection of the quotes. Please – if you have any suggestions for additions to the archive send them (with references) to steve@tdpf.org.uk, or post them in the new thread in the discussion forum http://forum.tdpf.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55 Wishing you a happy Christmas and most excellent New Year Steve, Fran and Danny -------------------------------------------------------- Lemmy and the Archbishop of Canterbury on drugs – Singing from the same hymn sheet Today Transform Drug Policy Foundation publishes the first ever comprehensive online archive of quotes from supporters of drug policy and law reform. The quotes, collected by Transform over the past 8 years, cover a broad range of professions and political persuasions, from Noam Chomsky to Milton Friedman, Adair Turner to Jonathan Ross, Mo Mowlam to David Cameron, The Archbishop of Canterbury to Lemmy from Motorhead – all clearly stating their opposition to the unwinnable ‘war on drugs’. Visit http://www.tdpf.org.uk/MediaNews_Reform_supporters.htm to view the complete archive. Steve Rolles, Transform Information officer said: “This collection of quotes demonstrates the breadth of support for reform to our failing drug policies, from across the intellectual, political and professional spectrum. This has clearly now become a credible, mainstream position. We hope that this will encourage the Government to seriously engage in the debate on alternatives to outright prohibition. “We hope that these quotes will embolden those who are afraid, to publicly express their long held private views. A reasoned and pragmatic position on drug policy and law reform is clearly no longer a burden in public life – and judging by this list - for many people it appears to be quite the opposite.” Visit: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/MediaNews_Reform_supporters.htm
Some selected quotes: Adair Turner -Chairman of the UK Pensions Commission and the UK Low Pay Commission, trustee of WWF, former director of the CBI. "And if we want to help sustainable economic development in the drug-ridden states such as Colombia and Afghanistan, we should almost certainly liberalise drugs use in our societies, combating abuse via education, not prohibition, rather than launching unwinnable 'wars on drugs' which simply criminalise whole societies." (1) Jonathan Ross - TV presenter, film critic, author (Transform Patron) “For a long time I’ve felt that the war on drugs is a lost cause. As a parent I’m obviously aware of the dangers of drugs but its clear to me that these dangers are massively increased by the criminality involved in an illegal market. I’m supporting Transform because I’d like to see a more honest, rational and compassionate approach to the drug problem. ” David Cameron MP Conservative party leader As a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry into drug misuse in 2002 - voted in favour of recommendation 24: " We recommend that the Government initiates a discussion within the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of alternative ways—including the possibility of legalisation and regulation—to tackle the global drugs dilemma” (2) Ken Livingstone Mayor of London, former MP “I think all drugs should be decriminalised and addicts could register with their GP for them so organised crime could be driven out of drugs.” (3) Mo Mowlam Former MP and Cabinet Minister, responsible for drug policy 1999-2001 “Please can we begin to hear some good sense from No 10 and the Home Office, and let's start looking at how drugs can be legalised and our society can be decriminalised. Let's recognise reality and start to reduce the numbers who are cluttering up our prisons……Let's admit that we are getting it wrong, by allowing our fear and prejudice against certain drugs to drive us to pursue wrongheaded policies which only produce damaging social results.” (4) Rowan Williams Signatory to letter to Kofi Annan 1998: "Persisting in our current policies will only result in more drug abuse, more empowerment of drug markets and criminals, and more disease and suffering. Too often those who call for open debate, rigorous analysis of current policies, and serious consideration of alternatives are accused of "surrendering." But the true surrender is when fear and inertia combine to shut off debate, suppress critical analysis, and dismiss all alternatives to current policies. Mr. Secretary General, we appeal to you to initiate a truly open and honest dialogue regarding the future of global drug control policies - one in which fear, prejudice and punitive prohibitions yield to common sense, science, public health and human rights".(5) Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom "My view as a police officer is the current regime is untenable and it is not going to be successful any more than controlling alcohol was through prohibition in the US. We are making it easy for organised crime," "We are persuading people to buy guns and protect their investment because there is so much money to be made from the drugs trade. We are turning people who want to abuse their bodies into criminals. Why should they be criminals? Why should we force them to mug my granny for money in order to abuse their bodies? We are making it worse not better." (6) ENDS Notes :
--Politics MPs, MEPs, Peers, Civil servants, Parliamentary committees, US, European and World politics. --Opinion Formers Academics, newspaper columnists, newspaper magazine and journal editorials, business people --Criminal Justice Police, Probation, Prisons, Customs, Courts, Legal professions --Public Figures Writers, Artists, broadcasters, celebrities --NGO's Professional bodies, drug agencies, others --Religious Leaders from a variety of different religions and denominations
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