Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2002
Source: Yorkshire Post (UK)
Copyright: 2002 Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd
Contact:  http://yorkshirepost.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2239

SOFT ON DRUGS

DAVID BLUNKETT likes to style himself as a tough operator.

Whether it is threatening criminals with long sentences, or police forces 
with sanctions that threaten their cherished tradition of independence, the 
Home Secretary wants it to be known that he is not a man to be trifled with.

So why is Mr Blunkett running up the white flag in the face of the drug 
threat now facing Britain? Why is the politician who likes to portray 
himself as the scourge of the criminal classes announcing a de facto 
decriminalisation of cannabis which sends the message to young people that 
this is a relatively harmless drug, in the face of medical evidence to the 
contrary, and tells dealers that the Government is admitting defeat on this 
particular front?

Mr Blunkett, of course, denies these charges.

As he told MPs yesterday, by reclassifying cannabis so that possession is 
no longer an arrestable offence, he is not surrendering to the drugs barons.

On the contrary, by diverting valuable police time from the pursuit of 
so-called recreational drug users, he is effectively giving officers more 
resources with which to tackle the drugs that cause the most harm, heroin 
and crack cocaine, to apprehend the criminal gangs that traffic in them and 
to concentrate on reducing street crime.

Moreover, by giving cannabis a class-C designation, the Home Secretary is 
ensuring that it remains illegal and recognised as a harmful substance.

This would be all well and good if Mr Blunkett's move were based on solid 
evidence that a lenient stance on cannabis really would help to reduce the 
trade in hard drugs.

All the indications from the experiment in soft treatment of drug users 
that has been held in Brixton, however, suggests otherwise. Since this 
risky pilot scheme began, the crime-ridden streets of this South London 
suburb have become even more of a haven for drug dealers and a prized 
destination for drug tourists.

Even more worrying, the use of cannabis among the teenage school population 
of Brixton is on the increase, with many children now seen smoking on their 
way to school and in their lunch break.

This is hardly a recipe for improving academic standards in an area noted 
for poor exam results and meagre job prospects.

In short, the consequences of this experiment for the law-abiding majority 
in Brixton have been disastrous. Rank-and-file police officers, who admit 
that the scheme has failed, are having to turn a blind eye to dealers 
openly touting their wares on the streets.

These dealers, however, are supplying not only cannabis, but also heroin 
and cocaine.

In other words, they are a gateway to drug addiction and a catalyst for a 
renewed crimewave.

Yet, following Mr Blunkett's announcement yesterday, the Brixton experiment 
is to be extended to the rest of London in the autumn and eventually, 
presumably, to towns and cities across Britain.

The Home Secretary is right not to want to waste police time on pursuing 
casual users of cannabis and to concentrate on those dealing in harder 
drugs. But the police have traditionally used their discretion in this 
area, discretion which Mr Blunkett is now removing and replacing with 
complex guidelines for when and when not to take action, which many 
officers are already saying is too confusing.

Instead of allowing police forces the freedom to tailor drugs procedures to 
local conditions, Mr Blunkett is repeating his familiar failing of being 
overly prescriptive. In this case, however, a set of tough edicts for the 
police may translate into a soft touch for the drug dealers.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens