Pubdate: Mon, 06 Oct 2014
Source: Courier, The (Dundee, UK)
Copyright: DC Thomson & Co Ltd
Contact:  http://www.thecourier.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/802
Page: 17

GLOBAL WAR ON DRUGS 'CANNOT BE WON'

THE WAR on drugs internationally cannot be won, crime prevention 
minister Norman Baker warned yesterday as he called for a "more 
logical and compassionate" approach to tackling the domestic problem.

Instead, he said he was interested in minimising the harm from drugs 
rather than continuing with a policy based on the "prejudices of yesterday".

The Liberal Democrat told delegates at the party's conference in 
Glasgow: "Medicinal cannabis is a very sensible objective to take forward.

"Why should people who are ill not have access to medicine which 
helps them when other medicine doesn't? And more to the point, they 
are made criminals when they access the cannabis themselves.

"I support any efforts to make this more logical and more compassionate.

"Let's get some facts based compassionate rational evidence for the 
drugs policy rather the prejudices of yesterday which don't work."

The Lewes MP was speaking at a debate on the crime and criminal 
justice policy paper, which was introduced by Geoff Payne, chairman 
of the policy working group.

Opening the discussion, he told activists - who later voted to pass 
the motion - that the party should make so-called "revenge porn" a 
criminal offence.

Mr Payne said other measures required included embedding restorative 
justice throughout the criminal justice system, widening a pilot in 
which ex-gang members explain the impact of their actions, scrapping 
police and crime commissioners and working within Europe and the rest 
of the world to deal with offences.

On drugs, Mr Payne said the "war on drugs in its traditional sense has failed".

He told activists drug addiction should first be considered a 
personal health issue, meaning treatment rather than conviction and 
sentence is the best way to deal with it.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom