“This drug strategy has not worked and cannot work. That is not because any Home Secretary is weaker or tougher than the last; it is because you cannot address health and social problems using the criminal justice system as your main weapon.”

-- Lord Mancroft - Lords Debate 29th October 2007

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Spreading the Word

• Transform submission to the Government’s Drug Strategy Consultation
• Drugs and Health Alliance submission to the Government’s Drug Strategy Consultation
• Lords Debate on the Drug Consultation process (and prohibition)
• Parliamentary launch for ‘After the War on Drugs, Tools for the Debate’
• Upcoming Events

3. UK News

• Chief Inspector Calls for legalisation and regulation of all drugs
• Drug Strategy Debate is a Sham
• Not so hysterical report on cannabis

4. International News

• Europe
• The Americas
• Asia
• Africa

5. What You Can Do

• Donate
• Internet Activity – list of forums and blogs
• Volunteer Community

1. Introduction

It's been another very positive month for Transform. We have seen the Chief Constable of the North Wales Police publishing a report calling for the legalisation and regulation of drugs (and winning the backing of North Wales Police Authority), we have continued our output of briefings and publications with the submission of Transform’s response to the Drug Consultation, (and assisting with the submission of the Drugs and Health Alliance) and we officially launched our new publication ‘Tools for the Debate’ at a reception in the Houses of Parliament.

2. Spreading the Word

Transform's Submission to the Drugs Consultation

The Government’s Drug Strategy Consultation closed on Friday 19th October. During the consultation period Transform made a number of high profile interventions:

• We highlighted the woeful shortcomings of the process and submitted a formal complaint to the Better Regulation Commission demonstrating the Government's failure to conform to its own consultation guidelines.
• We published 'Drug policy 1997-2007: The Evidence Unspun' which highlighted how the consultation document had misrepresented the statistical evidence, claiming success, where the unspun evidence often suggested failure.
• Transform assisted in the drafting of the consultation submission from the Drugs and Health Alliance.
• Transform submitted a detailed formal response to the consultation using correspondence from officials previously not in the public domain, to illustrate the Government’s knowledge that its support for drug prohibition creates significant harms. The press release accompanying the submission was widely quoted in the media and was also quoted in the recent Lords debate (see below).

Transform’s submission demonstrates how the Government:

• manipulated the entire consultation to close down genuine debate on drug policy
• set the framework in such a way as to have determined the outcome before the consultation had even finished
• ignored ten years of constant criticism of its drug policy
• hid internal reports critical of prohibition
• treats criticism of drug policy with disdain and contempt
• refuses to evaluate prohibition
• is a hostage to US inspired geopolitical forces

Our submission can be viewed here

DHA Submission to the drugs strategy consultation

Transform also played a lead role in developing a submission on behalf of the Drugs and Health Alliance (a coalition of organisations and individuals who support an evidence based, public health lead approach to dealing with drugs).

The DHA submission can be viewed here.

Lords Debate on the Drug Consultation process (and prohibition)

On the 29 th October the Lords held a fascinating debate providing some long overdue parliamentary critique of the Government’s drug strategy consultation as well as providing a forum for a rare debate on prohibition and legalisation. For a detailed report on the debate please see our blog, or the debate can be read in full here. We've included some of our favourite quotes below:

"it contains no concrete strategic proposals of any sort, and merely invites readers to agree with the details of the plan. There is a bit of fine tuning here and there, but, to tell the honest truth, there is nothing of any substance. Indeed, the foreword by the Home Secretary could quite easily be interchanged with the forewords written by the previous three authors of drug strategies—David Blunkett, Jack Straw and Michael Howard. I looked them up and read them; they are almost the same" - Lord Mancroft on the Drugs Consultation

"Prohibition was expected to rid the world of drugs by now. It has manifestly failed, and the Government cannot possibly argue that it has been a success" - Lord Cobbold

Parliamentary launch for ‘After the War on Drugs, Tools for the Debate’

On October 24th Transform held its annual reception and officially launched our latest publication ‘After the War on Drugs, Tools for the Debate’ in the Houses of Parliament with the support of Paul Flynn MP. There was a good turn out, with a distinguished audience including the peers Lord Turner, Lord Cobbold, and Lord Mancroft, the MPs Brian Iddon, Lynne Jones, Evan Harris, and Edward Garnier (from the Tory front bench) who made a brief appearance. Also present were Henry Hoare, Transform Patron and senior partner at Hoare’s Bank, representatives from the National Audit Office, the Drummer from Blur and aspiring politician, Dave Rowntree, as well as a selection of key journalists, civil servants, academics, NGO representatives and Transform funders, colleagues and friends.

Paul Flynn opens proceedings at Transform's reception in the Attlee Room,
in the new Portcullis House extension to the Houses of Parliament

Paul Flynn introduced the evening and spoke, amongst other things, on the importance of shifting the Government’s resources away from the criminal justice system and into public health and treatment, and his experiences as the point man for parliamentary drug law reform in the Commons. This was followed by a presentation from Steve Rolles, Transform Information Officer and author of the new Transform Publication 'Tools for the Debate’ introducing the broad themes and highlighting a selection of key passages to illustrate how the book can be used to engage in and take forward the debate on drug law reform. The presentations were rounded off by Danny Kushlick, Transform Director, with a review of some of Transform’s key recent achievements to date, and plans for the future.

The evening then turned into a lively question and answer session, which included discussions on how to deal with critics, and Transform's vision for the future: what a controlled and regulated market might look like. The evening concluded with an opportunity for some networking over a glass of splendid House of Commons wine.

Upcoming Events

Danny will be participating in a debate at Trinity College Dublin on the legalisation and regulation of drugs.
Steve is speaking at a roundtable presentation at the Drug policy Alliance Conference in New Orleans on December the 8th.

3. UK News

Chief Inspector Calls for Legalisation and regulation of all drugs

"If policy on drugs is in the future to be pragmatic not moralistic, driven by ethics not dogma, then the current prohibitionist stance will have to be swept away as both unworkable and immoral. Such a strategy leads inevitably to the legalisation and regulation of all drugs."

We were pleased to see Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom, (North Wales Police) make front-page news this month, with his call for the end of prohibition and its replacement with a system of legally regulated and controlled drug markets. Significantly his report also won institutional backing of the North Wales Police Authority, and was submitted to the Government drug strategy consultation on their behalf.

Brunstrom’s report argues that the current system is ‘unworkable and immoral’ and amongst other recommendations, calls for the repeal of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and its replacement with a Misuse of Substance Act, which would be based upon a hierarchy of harm, including alcohol and nicotine.

We consider this an important step in the right direction and we are currently in discussions with the North Wales Police regarding affiliation – which Brunstrom recommended.

Brunstrom's 30 page report 'Drug Policy, A radical look ahead' can be viewed here.
For further comment on this story please see our blog

Drug Strategy Debate ‘Is a Sham’

Transform featured in an article written in the Observer on 21 st October. The article drew together three related stories; Richard Brunstrom’s calls for legalisation and regulation, the ending of the drug strategy consultation in a flurry of condemnation and critique, and the launch of Transform’s publication ‘Tools for the Debate’ (see above).

The article concluded with a quote from a Home Office spokeswoman:

'We have undertaken an open consultation and we welcome constructive ideas and views on how we can continue to reduce drug harm. However, the government is emphatically opposed to the legalisation of drugs which would increase drug-related harm and break both international and domestic law.'

So, it appears that the legalisation of drugs can’t proceed because it would be against the law. Doh!

For further coverage please see our blog

Not so hysterical report on cannabis

Following Gordon Brown’s recent announcement that he wants to reclassify cannabis (from class C to B), the British Crime Survey has rather undermined his reefer madness bandwagon jumping, by revealing that the number of 16-24 year olds using cannabis has decreased since cannabis was downgraded to class C in 2004. This was reported as front page news in the Guardian – a welcome non hysterical cannabis headline in a year of sensationalist scaremongering from the Independent on Sunday.

Interestingly one point the Guardian missed was that cannabis use has been falling slowly but fairly consistently since 1998, suggesting if anything, not that reclassification has been responsible for the fall, but that classification is largely irrelevant to prevalence rates. (for more discussion please follow this link )

4. International News

Europe

The Netherlands

It’s bad news for Holland this month with the government’s latest announcement that they are planning to ban the sale of magic mushrooms (currently legal when fresh). This move has been provoked by a series of disastrous incidents involving intoxicated foreign tourists (notably most also involving alcohol) that received high profile media coverage, with a predictable if short sighted knee jerk political response. The ban looks set to be enforced within the next couple of months, although how strictly it will be enforced remains to be seen.

The Czech Republic

On a more encouraging note, lawmakers in the Czech Republic are considering lowering penalties for small-scale recreational drug growers under a Criminal Code change that decriminalizes recreational drug use.

Sweden

The International Harm Reduction Association and the Swedish Drug Users Union published a report on 31st October which examined the state’s response to the growing health problems relating to injecting drug users in Sweden and the inadequate provision of harm reduction services for Sweden’s growing population of drug injectors.

The Americas

'Marijuana is not a drug, it's a leaf'

Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger made the headlines this week with a statement he made for GQ magazine; ‘Marijuana is not a drug, it’s a leaf.’ His press secretary was quick on the defence, stating the comment was meant light-heartedly and was simply a joke! Hilarious, when considering that 800,000 people are arrested each year for a marijuana related offences (according to FBI estimates) in the US. For the record it is a drug (well drugs – it contains more than one active substance), and a leaf.

Schwarzenegger has also been in the news this month, for signing Assembly Bill 110, which allows local governments to use state HIV prevention funds to purchase clean syringes. For further details please follow this link.

Mexico

President Bush formally requested $550 million from Congress for anti-drug assistance to Mexico and Central America next year. The funding request is the first of several instalments that is expected to reach $1.4 billion.The money will go towards things like police training, helicopters and surveillance planes. It would seem that America are continuing to waste yet more resources on the same failing strategy.

Asia

Afghanistan

Afghanistan remains in the news this month as senior international counter-narcotic officials met on the 31st October and 1st November to decrease the flow of heroin leaving Afghanistan and adversely affecting neighbouring countries such as China and Tajikistan. The new initiatives being considered include increased focus on boarder security, and trans-boarder co-operation.

Steve attended a Chatham House event in London this month to discuss Afghan drug issues with various UK and international delegates from Government, military, NGO and media sectors

Africa

Senegal

Members from a range of NGOs operating in West and Central Africa met this week in Dakar, Senegal, to discuss their concerns that insufficient money is being spent on prevention of drug use and treatment for users.

“So much money is invested in the fight against drug trafficking or the reduction of supply; but when it comes to reducing the demand – or the users themselves – organisations working on this approach have almost no financial means.”

West Africa is increasingly becoming a centre for drugs trafficking into Europe, and with this trend NGO's operating in the region have also observed an increase in drug use. As a spokesperson from the anti-drug federation's stated:

“The fight against drugs will never succeed solely through repression...How long have we been putting people in jail? And how long has [the drug problem] continued?”

5. What you can do

Donate

Transform relies solely on donations from individuals and charitable trusts to maintain its work. Ideas, contacts and suggestions are always welcome, and please, if you haven’t already – sign up online to make a donation to the organisation. It really can make a difference. You can do this easily and quickly through our secure online giving page run by the Charities Aid Foundation.

Internet Activity - List of Forums and blogs

Our volunteer Phil has produced a fantastic list of forums and blogs where you can engage in online debates. We’ve highlighted a selection of the UK based media and discussion forums and relevant blogs this month to get you started and we’ll provide more recommendations in future newsletters. It is an easy, flexible, and potentially very valuable way to engage directly with the public debate on drug law reform. Please use Transform’s various web resources (including our new debating guide) to inform your contributions – and links to Transform pages, blogs and publications will help raise our profile amongst key audiences.

It would be excellent to hear about your experiences into these debates, so please send us the links and tell us how you get on. If you’d like a full list of the forums and blogs that Phil has identified please email info@tdpf.org.uk and we’ll send you a copy.

Volunteer Community

We are currently developing a website for volunteers and people wanting to contribute to the work of Transform. We feel that this is a really exciting development, as it will allow you to work on a number of Transform projects from the comfort of your own home.

If you are interested please email ed@tdpf.org.uk and we’ll be in contact when our new system is up and running.