THE war on drugs is “completely lost and unwinnable” if legislators continue with the same approach to tackling the issue, it has been claimed.
Jim Duffy, a retired Strathclyde Police officer who now works for Law Enforcement Action Partnership UK, told MPs at Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee yesterday that the Misuse Of Drugs Act had been an “out-and-out failure” and said that a radical rethink is needed.
Duffy suggested that by moving towards decriminalisation of drug use, such as countries like Portugal which did so in 2001, control can be taken away from criminals.
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“The war on drugs, as it currently stands, is completely lost and completely unwinnable,” said Duffy.
“The way forward is not to follow the current Misuse Of Drugs Act, which has been in place for 48 years and has been an out-and-out failure.
“We need to take it away from criminals, we need to take it away from the organised crime groups, we need to legalise and legislate, and control.” He continued: “Lives are being saved all over the world, in Canada and America where they’ve legalised it in certain states, there aren’t the same number of fatalities. When you see what they’ve done in Portugal and what they’ve done in Switzerland, there aren’t the same number of people dying.”
Duffy also warned MPs of the availability of drugs in prisons and indicated that it is not possible to simply rid drugs from society.
Martin Powell, from the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, said that allowing for the creation of drugs consumption rooms, such as that proposed in Glasgow, could allow Scotland to explore whether deregulation could be beneficial.
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Under UK legislation, it would not be possible for such a facility to be set up, with the UK Government required to give approval.
Powell said: “In terms of things we’d like to see changing in terms of the Misuse Of Drugs Act, would be very specifically in the short term, to allow drugs consumption rooms to be piloted, so a law change around that.”
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