Former head of MI5 calls on UK government to decriminalise and regulate cannabis
The former head of MI5 believes the “war on drugs” has proved fruitless and it is time to consider decriminalising the possession and use of small quantities of cannabis.
Eliza Manningham-Buller has backed calls for the government to set up a commission to examine how to tackle the UK’s drug culture and consider the highly controversial move of relaxing the law.
She was speaking at a meeting held by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform on Thursday where senior government representatives met experts from across the world to consider ways of combating the issue.
The cross-bench peer said the current policy was failing and it was time to look at alternative ways of tackling the production and use of drugs by assessing how other countries are dealing with the problem. She believes serious consideration needs to be given to the idea of regulating cannabis so that its psychotic effects can be controlled more closely…
Manningham-Buller said there was too much of a knee-jerk opposition to changing drug policy but it is an issue that needs to be at the forefront of national debate.
She urged politicians to come up with a more successful way of tackling the issue by assessing evidence that looks at how to reduce the harmful effects of drugs in a cost-effective approach.
Politicians at the meeting with a vested interest in continuing the same old policy offered up statements in opposition. If you have any knowledge of the topic, of the realities of of cannabis, pot, mary jane, marijuana, grass, weed, ganja or Texas Tea – you understand why I didn’t waste any space quoting such foolishness.
I have argued for a long time that we should decriminalize most of the current class A & B drugs and licence them for sale so that the government can apply an inflated rate of tax (in the same way as they do with petrol, alcohol and cigarettes). Proper hardcore drugs like heroine and crystal meth should remain firmly on the banned list due to the way they very quickly turn their users into addicts but drugs like cocaine (once completely legal), cannabis and MDMA could be licensed and sold with health warnings.
Licensing such products not only allows for quality and quantity control but adds revenue for the government while taking it away from organised crime. Indeed I have often wondered if the only reason we haven’t done this already is because MP’s are in bed with organised crime!
As for the health side effects I do not believe that licensing these drugs will cause the NHS to crumble under the strain of increased drug addicts. In fact it could well help improve the situation as the contents of the drug would be strictly controlled, there would be no cases of people snorting rat pellets instead of cocaine.
Lifting such a ban would also allow the effects of these drugs to be studied more freely. It is currently very difficult for professionals to acquire legal samples of these drugs for controlled studies. If it was easier to get hold of consistent products not only would these studies help us to understand the real effect of these drugs but could also lead to new treatments and therapies.
For the record I had a bit of a wild youth and have been known to experiment with illegal substances in the past. I have also seen first hand the ill effects drug addiction can have but I also have first hand experience of how smoking and alcoholism destroys lives too and these are drugs that are perfectly legal. If someone is to become an addict then they’ll become an addict regardless of whether the drug is illegal or not but the number of people who take recreational drugs in moderation and don’t turn into junkies if much higher than Middle-England cares to admit.
Dazzle Rebel
November 18, 2011 at 7:27 am
All excellent points Rebel, it is just to bad the “War on Drugs” is not about logic but instead about fearmongering that allows those in power to remain in power while enslaving people world wide to “legal” often toxic and deadly alternatives that prop up capitalist ologarcies. Or something like that, soon enought though cannabis and its consumers will be free or this opression.
TriXteR Phillips
November 18, 2011 at 10:31 am
Excellent post Eideard and great work keeping the prohibitionist’s feet to the fire for they will not legalize cannabis for us. We must make them legalize cannabis!
TriXteR Phillips
November 18, 2011 at 10:34 am
I write a blog about my experiences, voyages in search of altered states of consciousness with the hope of finding a deeper meaning in life. I consider myself, for a want of a better word, a spiritual seeker. I have been reading books, listening to a few self-styled new-age Gurus, and have been doing some thinking of my own. I am not a junkie. I consider myself a normal person with a normal job and a faimily to look after. I had heard and read about people getting deep insights into great metaphysical truths while taking psychedelic drugs like LSD and cannabis. After a lot of initial hesitation I decided to try cannabis. I take it once in two or three months, which , you will agree, does not make me an addict. I take it orally, one flat spoon with any non-alcoholic liquid. I also practice meditation occasionally. I take cannabis , not for pleasure or to get a high, but to re-discover myself.
kabirvaani
November 24, 2011 at 12:52 am