One of Wales's most senior police officers is calling for radical changes to drugs laws - including legalising heroin. Post Crime reporter JASON EVANS looks at the controversial proposals. The war on drugs is a phrase that is easy to use, and one often over-used by commentators and politicians.But is it a war that can ever be won? And what would victory look like? Are we talking about getting rid of drugs altogether or reducing their use to a manageable or acceptable level? [continues 1083 words]
THE Government's former drug tsar, Keith Hellawell, yesterday blasted Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom's argument to legalise drugs, claiming it was like something written by a sixth former. North Wales' Police's top cop has argued the current laws on drugs are not working and a radical rethink is needed. "In a nutshell, I'm advocating the repeal of the Misuse of Drugs Act and the consequent legalisation and regulation of all drugs," said Mr Brunstrom, who describes drugs prohibition as "unworkable and immoral". [continues 381 words]
COMMENT: (1-4) Thursday more than 200 medical cannabis patients and advocates rallied in front of the Governor's office in downtown Los Angeles demanding that he stand up for patients' rights and the will of California voters and lawmakers. Thursday evening the DEA and LAPD staged a raid on one of Los Angeles' most respected collectives, the Arts District Healing Center. Dozens of protesters turned out to defend the dispensary. The newspaper articles did not relate the two events, but we have to wonder if the DEA and the LAPD staged the raid when they did to thumb their nose at both the patients and California law. [continues 6090 words]
North Wales police chief Richard Brunstrom has called for all drugs, including heroin, to be legalised because current policy is based on "dogma rather than evidence". Brunstrom said the Misuse of Drugs Act should be repealed as the current UK drugs policy is based upon a "wholly outdated and thoroughly repugnant moralistic stance based upon rhetoric and dogma rather than a rational (and more ethical) philosophy". He also pointed out that it is impossible to combat an industry worth an estimated 8 billion pounds a year in the UK. [continues 310 words]
NORTH Wales' Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom is calling for the legalisation and regulation of all drugs - and next week will ask North Wales Police Authority to back him. The region's top cop reckons existing drug laws are "not fit for purpose". "In a nutshell, I'm advocating the repeal of the Misuse of Drugs Act and the consequent legalisation and regulation of all drugs," says Mr Brunstrom, who describes drugs prohibition as "unworkable and immoral". "Central to existing UK drugs policy is the ABC classification system. It is now indefensible both legally and ethically. [continues 411 words]
A CONTROVERSIAL police chief has called for the legalisation of all drugs, including heroin, in a report published today. Police chief constable of North Wales, Richard Brunstrom, says that police are currently in a battle against drugs which they cannot win. He says the current system has "not worked well" and that "illegal drugs are now in plentiful supply, and have become consistently cheaper in real terms over the years." In the report to North Wales police authority, he described the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as "not fit for purpose" and "immoral" and thinks the way forward is to repeal it. [continues 225 words]
Controversial police chief Richard Brunstrom has called for the legalisation and regulation of all drugs in a report published today. Mr Brunstrom, the chief constable of North Wales, described the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as "not fit for purpose" and "immoral" and urged its repeal. Mr Brunstrom, in a report to North Wales police authority, described the current UK drugs strategy as "unwinnable". He said: "The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 should be repealed and replaced by a new Substance Misuse Act based upon the legalisation and careful regulation of all substances of abuse in one consistent manner." [continues 857 words]
North Wales Police chief constable Richard Brunstrom has said he will be "campaigning hard" for drugs such as heroin to be legalised. In the past, Mr Brunstrom has said drugs laws are out of date and that the police are engaged in a battle which they cannot win. He is now campaigning for drugs to be legalised, and for the class A, B and C system to be scrapped. Mr Brunstrom's suggestions have already been criticised by some politicians. In a report to be presented to the North Wales Police Authority next Monday, he says the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 should be replaced by a new "Substance Misuse Act". [continues 403 words]
A police force criticised for its supposed liberal stance on drugs was yesterday accused of ordering officers to stop logging intelligence about drug dealers because they had already hit the annual arrests target. The HM Inspectorate of Constabulary claimed that two divisions within North Wales Police were "instructed" not to enter the information on the force computer as further arrests would lead to a higher target the following year. The HMIC's annual report into the force said the order was later withdrawn but claimed it reflected "a worrying aspect of performance culture". [continues 322 words]
Britain has a greater level of serious drug abuse than any other country in Europe, damning new figures show. The study reveals nearly one in every hundred people of working age in this country is a drug addict, a level unmatched anywhere else on the continent. The United Nations report showed that rates of problem abuse here are more than three times those in Holland, nearly four times levels of serious drug-taking in Germany, over twice the rates in France, and nearly double the European average. [continues 853 words]
The chief constable of North Wales Police has said the UK's policy of criminalising drugs has "caused an explosion in organised crime". Richard Brunstrom told BBC Wales' Week In Week Out that making certain drugs illegal has meant control and supply has been handed over to criminal gangs. Mr Brunstrom called for a radical review of UK drug policy. But David Raynes from the National Drug Prevention Alliance said most people did not want drugs legalised. 'Devastatingly damaging' Mr Brunstrom told the programme that he had no problem with having to police the current drug laws, but said a war on drugs was unwinnable. [continues 425 words]
He's the motor-mouth cop who hits the headlines for his outspoken views. During five years with North Wales Police, controversial Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom has called for drugs to be legalised, campaigned against speeding motorists and labelled homosexuals "queers". In a frank interview, the top cop tells Marc Baker why he's happy to be unpopular... Q. Is North Wales a safer place since you became Chief Constable? A. Yes. The facts speak for themselves. Crime is way down and our detection rate is just about the best in England and Wales. North Wales, already a very safe place, is getting safer still. Don't just take my word for it - we have lower insurance premiums to prove it. The next big challenge is for us to be as successful in tackling anti-social behaviour as we have been with crime. [continues 751 words]
New Chief Of Enforcement Agency Aims To Shift Focus From Drugs Seizures To Netting Top 100 Criminals SEIZING large quantities of heroin or cocaine on the way into Britain is almost useless in the fight against drugs according to the new head of the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency who said police instead needed to tackle the "underlying logic of crime". Graeme Pearson, currently assistant chief constable at Strathclyde Police, will take over from Jim Orr, who retired in January, as director of the agency. [continues 714 words]
A senior policeman faced fierce criticism from fellow officers and politicians yesterday when he called for heroin to be legalised. Richard Brunstrom, the chief constable of North Wales, said he did not advocate anyone abusing their body, but he thought the open sale of drugs would wipe out the multimillion-pound illegal trade and help cut crime. "Heroin is very addictive but it's not very, very dangerous," he told the BBC Wales political programme Dragon's Eye. "The question is actually not 'Am I prepared to see the government selling heroin on the street corner or through the pharmacy?' but 'Why would we not want to do that?' Our current policy is doing more harm than good." [continues 137 words]
A police chief's suggestion that heroin should be sold legally on the street was today condemned as "dangerous and divisive" by another of the country's most senior officers. Controversial North Wales Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom's call for the drug to be legalised was publicly slammed by Tarique Ghaffur, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who has responsibility for drug enforcement in London. The intervention by Mr Ghaffur reveals the depth of anger among other senior officers over Mr Brunstrom's remarks. [continues 450 words]
A chief constable provoked outrage yesterday by suggesting that heroin should be sold on street corners or in pharmacies. Richard Brunstrom, who is in charge of North Wales police, said he believed that the drug laws were doing "more harm than good." They left vulnerable people in danger, while enabling criminals to make massive profits. "Heroin is very addictive, but it is not very, very dangerous," he told the Dragon's Eye programme on BBC Wales. "It is perfectly possible to lead a normal life for a full life span and hold down a job while being addicted to the drug. [continues 412 words]
North Wales Police Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom says he is prepared to see drugs such as heroin openly on sale because current drug laws are doing "more harm than good". Speaking on BBC Wales' Dragon's Eye political programme, Mr Brunstrom described drugs as a menace and said that current policy was creating crime around massive illegal profits and putting vulnerable people in danger. "Heroin is a very, very addictive substance, extremely addictive, far more so than nicotine, but it's not very, very dangerous. It's perfectly possible to lead a normal life for a full life span and hold down a job while being addicted to heroin. [continues 356 words]
A cannabis campaigner will officially open a shop selling drug paraphernalia on Saturday despite previous attempts being thwarted by police. Jeffrey Ditchfield has been trading from his store called 'The Beggar's Belief' in Water Street, Rhyl for the past seven days. Last Saturday he was arrested at the shop's opening and charged with possessing a quantity of cannabis resin and intent to supply. He says he will not sell cannabis, but will sell seeds and equipment to grow it, "magic mushroom" growing kits and legal intoxicating herbs. [continues 159 words]
A 43-year-old man has been arrested and charged with drug possession following a raid which prevented the opening of a shop at Rhyl by a cannabis campaigner. Businessman Jeffrey Ditchfield says he wants to help people who want cannabis for pain relief by dispensing medication from the shop - called It Beggars Belief - and stresses his merchandise is legal. Police say the arrested man, who faces charges of possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply, will appear in court on Thursday. [continues 222 words]
A cannabis campaigner will finally open a shop selling drug paraphernalia despite the threat of police action. North Wales Police say they will "closely monitor" the store when it is opened by businessman Jeffrey Ditchfield in Rhyl on Saturday. He says he will not sell cannabis, but will sell seeds and equipment to grow them, "magic mushroom" growing kits and legal intoxicating herbs. In the past, he has said he wanted to give cannabis to people for medicinal purposes. "I've made it quite clear that all I want to be able to do is supply cannabis to sick people," said Mr Ditchfield, 43. [continues 328 words]
"House Republicans Thursday unveiled a package of bills to combat drug abuse and vowed to make America virtually drug-free by 2002."- Reuters, May 1998 Welcome to America, 2002, Land of the Virtually Drug-Free where President George Bush insists that casual drug users are financing terrorism, while his niece is caught with crack cocaine in drug rehab. Where one person is arrested approximately every 44 seconds on a marijuana charge. Where 77% of Texas drug convictions are found to involve less than one gram of a drug. [continues 3852 words]
Five hundred drug policy experts from across Europe are in north Wales to debate policing, rehabilitation of drug users and decriminalisation. The landmark Flintshire conference organised by North Wales Drug and Alcohol Forum has re-ignited the debate on drug use and the policing of drugs in the UK. North Wales Police chief constable Richard Brunstrom has called for a joined-up approach to stopping Wales' 10,000 drug addicts committing crimes and spending UKP2m weekly on their habit. Mr Brunstrom recently argued that the war on drugs should fundamentally change. [continues 428 words]
From England To Italy, Politicians And Cops Are Getting More Tolerant Of Marijuana Users At the end of May, the Senior Judge of England's highest court, Lord Bingham, publicly declared his country's marijuana prohibition "stupid" and said he "absolutely" supported legalization. This sent a shock wave through the nation's political establishment. While many leaders have recently called for relaxing England's pot laws, including the chief prison inspector and several prominent police chiefs, Bingham, known as a modernizer of England's tradition-bound judiciary, is one of the country's most influential judges. With so many officials calling for reform, England's politicians are scrambling to respond. Prime Minister Tony Blair has refused to take a stand, except to say that the War on Drugs is not working. But Home Secretary David Blunkett has announced plans to reclassify marijuana so that casual users will not face prison. [continues 1524 words]
The Government Says It Is Winning The War On Drugs The amount of hard drugs seized in the UK has risen by 10%, according to latest figures. Police and Customs officers beat the target set for seizures of class A drugs in 2000, the Home Office statistics show. The number of people who faced penalties for supplying hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine also increased by just less than 25%. The government says the figures prove its drugs policies are working. [continues 372 words]
Front-Line Police Officers Have Rejected Calls For Drugs To Be Legalised. The Police Federation, which represents 128,000 officers up to the rank of inspector, voted overwhelmingly that police should "enforce and seek to strengthen" current laws. North Wales police chief Richard Brunstrom told 700 delegates at the federation's annual conference in Bournemouth that all drugs including heroin and cocaine should be decriminalised. But only 30 officers supported a motion backing decriminalisation. Mr Brunstrom, who has called for a royal commission on the legalisation of all drugs, believes Britain's fight against them is "almost an unqualified disaster". [continues 221 words]
A campaigner for the legalisation of cannabis has bought a website bearing the name of North Wales Police to advertise his plans for a cannabis cafe. Businessman Jeff Ditchfield, 42, from Henllan in Denbighshire, said he bought the domain name for UKP12.99 to try to open a "sensible debate with police". But police chiefs have warned him not to use the site for illegal means and said they will act if the law is broken. The row over the site emerged as the force's Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom is due to address a Police Federation conference on the issue of legalising drugs. [continues 353 words]
More than a dozen Dutch-style cannabis cafes are being planned from Brighton to Glasgow in a major movement across the country. They range from converted warehouses to upmarket cafes in London with budgets of ?250,000. Less than a week after the Government's top drugs advisory committee called for cannabis to be downgraded from Class B to Class C - severely reducing penalties for possession - campaigners are setting up coffee shops confident that such a move is now all but inevitable. Last week the Liberal Democrats became the first mainstream party to adopt a policy of legalising the drug. [continues 753 words]
RICHARD Brunstrom, the Chief Constable of North Wales, believes there should be a major rethink on drugs crime. "if you're not mugging old ladies and not stealing from shops, and not stealing cars, what actually is the problem?" he asked. "We have the harshest drug laws in Europe and by far the worst drug abuse problem," he said. "We are losing the war... and we must look at other alternatives." He appears to have a valid point, but is conveniently ignoring the fact that drug abuse is not merely a criminal problem, and that petty crime, driven by the need to finance addiction, is by no means its only side effect. [continues 202 words]
A government-commissioned report has recommended that cannabis be downgraded to a Class C drug. Such a legal move could allow users to smoke it in public without fear of arrest. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) said current classification of the drug was "disproportionate" to its harmfulness. ACMD chairman Professor Sir Michael Rawlins said his council was not saying cannabis was harmless. "Cannabis is associated with some risks of health but the council concludes that these are less than the risks posed by other Class B drugs such as amphetamine," he said. [continues 258 words]
A POLICE chief said last night that it was time to concede defeat in the "war against drugs" and make them all legal to stop pushers making vast profits from their sale. Richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable of North Wales, said the reasons why drugs were illegal had been "lost in the mists of time" and ought to be reconsidered. "What is the problem?" he said. "If you're not mugging old ladies and stealing from shops and not stealing cars, what is the problem? Why shouldn't you be taking drugs? That is the question we need to be asking ourselves - why are these things illegal? What is the purpose behind it?" [continues 419 words]
A senior police officer has been criticised after saying most of the damage from drugs is caused not by the substances themselves, but by the UK legal system. North Wales Police Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom said he saw no problem with drugs as long as addicts were not committing crimes to fund their habit. But Paul Betts, whose daughter Leah died after taking ecstasy, said Mr Brunstrom's ideas were impractical and would only lead to more crime. Mr Brunstrom told Channel 4 News: "If you're not mugging old ladies and not stealing from shops and not stealing cars, what actually is the problem? [continues 420 words]
A Chief Constable says he sees no problem with drugs as long as addicts are "not mugging old ladies". The top officer in North Wales, Richard Brunstrom, has previously called for heroin to be prescribed free to Britain's 300,000 addicts. In an interview on Channel 4 he also claims if drugs were not illegal, their street value would not be so high, and pushers would not make vast sums selling them. He says lawmakers should be asking themselves why exactly drugs are illegal. [continues 241 words]
A chief constable has called for heroin to be prescribed free to Britain's 300,000 addicts. Richard Brunstrom, the head of North Wales Police, wants heroin possession to be decriminalised and people caught with small quantities of the drug to be treated. His comments are the latest proposal by a senior police officer for a more liberal approach to drug use. Mr Brunstrom said pure heroin should be provided on prescription for addicts, because that would remove the need for users to commit crime to pay for their habit. He told Police Review magazine: "Heroin does not make you commit crime; it gets you addicted. If you could get free heroin you wouldn't commit crime. [continues 588 words]
The Government's drug advisers last night called on the Home Office to modernise drugs laws ahead of a new report highlighting the haphazard way they are applied. The call comes amid increasing evidence that policing of Britain's drug laws is in disarray - based more upon the whims of local police chiefs than the statute book. New research published in the spring by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the UK's largest social research charity, will highlight the hit-or-miss approach to drug enforcement taken by the police. [continues 611 words]
These bag contains millions of pounds of heroin There have been calls for urgent action to combat the growing use of trends in the south Wales valleys after new figures revealed Newport has overtaken Bristol as the prime source for drugs users in south Wales. Gwent Police estimates that there are 4,500 drug users in the south east Wales area with 100 dealers in operation. David Jeremiah of the Gwent Drug and Alcohol Team said some areas of the problem were being tackled - but not all. [continues 404 words]
Colin Davies launched the Dutch Experience cafe MEP Chris Davies has been criticised for "wasting police time" after he was arrested and charged for possessing cannabis during a march. The Liberal Democrat MEP for the North West joined other campaigners aiming to draw attention to Colin Davies, who advocates cannabis use. Mr Davies, no relation to the MEP, is currently on remand on drugs charges after opening a Dutch-style "coffee shop" in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The MEP stood outside the town's police station brandishing a tiny amount of cannabis stuck on a postage stamp. [continues 422 words]
An MEP has been arrested for cannabis possession after supporting the owner of a Dutch-style 'coffee shop' in Greater Manchester. Chris Davies, the Liberal Democrat MEP for the North West, joined other campaigners to march through Stockport to the town's police station. The march was to draw attention to Colin Davies, no relation to the MEP, who advocates cannabis use and is currently on remand on drugs charges. Mr Davies spoke to supporters outside the town's police station before brandishing a tiny amount of cannabis stuck on a postage stamp. [continues 348 words]
A North West Euro MP is planning to be arrested in support of the owner of a Dutch-style 'coffee shop' in Greater Manchester. Chris Davies, the Liberal Democrat MEP for the North West, says he will turn up at a police station in Stockport on 15 December with a small amount of cannabis resin. He wants to draw attention to the experience of Colin Davies, who advocates the use of cannabis, and who runs the 'Dutch Experience' coffee shop in the town. [continues 362 words]
A senior police officer in Wales is to warn that the UK has lost the so-called war against drugs. Richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable of North Wales Police, is expected to call for a Royal Commission to look at legalising some or even all illegal drugs. His is due to make his departure from conventional police policy when he addresses his own police authority on Friday. He is expected to say that that the campaign against drugs cannot be won by means acceptable in a democracy. [continues 354 words]
DRIVERS suspected of taking drugs will be made to perform roadside tests such as standing on one leg and touching their noses with their eyes closed, police said today. Motorists will also have to walk in a straight line and perform balanced turns and estimate when 30 seconds is up, with their heads tilted back. The new measures are being launched by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) following pilot schemes in several force areas across England, Wales and Scotland. [continues 118 words]
They both enjoyed the odd doobie as a student but that’s where the similarities between Mo Mowlam and Eoin Ryan end. While the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has hinted that it should be decriminalised, the Government’s new ‘drugs Czar’ is adamant that there will be no relaxation of the cannabis laws while Fianna Fail is in office. His boss, Minister for Justice John O’Donoghue, was even more forthright when he stated that. “As long as I am in the Justice portfolio there will be no watering down of the fallacious distinction between so-called soft and hard drugs. [continues 989 words]
Cleveland has become the first police force to warn the government that the war on drugs is not being won and to say it is time to consider the "only serious alternative - the legalisation and regulation of some or all drugs". The report from Cleveland's chief constable, Barry Shaw, which has been endorsed by the force's Labour-led police authority, is the first time that senior serving police officers have declared that Britain's drug laws are not working and endorsed the call for a royal commission to reconsider the legal position. The only police figures who have, up until now, voiced their support for a serious debate on legalisation have been retired officers. The most senior officers in the Cleveland force, which covers the Redcar constituency of Mo Mowlam, the cabinet minister responsible for drugs police, said they strongly supported Tony Blair's 10-year strategy to combat drug abuse because it stressed the need to treat drug users as victims as much as offenders. But they said that underlying it all was a prohibition style approach which relied upon bans and enforcement to restrict availability. [continues 794 words]
Drugs In Britain: Special Report Cleveland has become the first police force to warn the government that the war on drugs is not being won and to say it is time to consider the "only serious alternative - the legalisation and regulation of some or all drugs". The report from Cleveland's chief constable, Barry Shaw, which has been endorsed by the force's Labour-led police authority, is the first time that senior serving police officers have declared that Britain's drug laws are not working and endorsed the call for a royal commission to reconsider the legal position. The only police figures who have, up until now, voiced their support for a serious debate on legalisation have been retired officers. [continues 865 words]
Chief police officers from one of Britain's busiest forces have claimed that drugs laws don't work and say legalisation is 'the obvious alternative approach.' Officers in Cleveland, which covers Teeside, say in a report to the force's civil police authority that the drugs trade is growing in the face of the Government's tough anti-drugs stance. The authority is now calling for a Royal Commission to review drugs laws in the light of the findings. The move makes Cleveland the first police force to come out publicly against drugs laws Although a number of chief constables are believed privately to back a more liberal policy, none has yet called for legalisation. [continues 513 words]
TWO detectives from a squad running a zerotolerance crime policy have been suspended amid allegations that they gave heroin to drugaddict prisoners in exchange for confessions. Another officer with the Cleveland force has been given a final warning after being accused of beating suspects. Their suspensions follow the collapse of cases at Teesside Crown Court, where defendants were allowed to alter guilty pleas to not guilty. The detectives are under the control of Detective Superintendent Ray Mallon, who advocates the zerotolerance policy of not allowing even the most minor offence to go unchallenged. He has pledged to resign if crime in Middlesbrough is not reduced by 20 per cent. His tough stance has been praised by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary. Last night Richard Brunstrom, the Assistant Chief Constable (Operations) with Cleveland, confirmed that the Police Complaints Authority had launched an inquiry into the allegations. [end]
