Time to transform the UK’s drug laws

The UK’s drug policy is wreaking havoc on individuals, families and communities affected by it, yet no one dares talk about it, argues James Nicholls.

The newly-appointed CEO of Transform says the existing system of prohibition, which leaves a lucrative market in the hands of unscrupulous criminal gangs, is proving catastrophic for some of the most vulnerable communities as he calls for open talks about what could change.

From low-key offices overlooking King Street, the charity influences policy on a global scale – it was a key advisor to the Canadian Government, which legalised marijuana in July last year, and broke the news that the UK is the largest exporter of medical cannabis despite the government saying “it has no proven medical use”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRZSux2QOMM

“We realised quite quickly that alcohol prohibition was causing more harm than good,” says James. “Yet we have prohibition of drugs, despite all the proof of the harm it does.”

Formerly a director of research and policy at Alcohol Change UK, James finds the societal attitude to alcohol, compared to other psychoactive substances illogical.

“We need to be much more pragmatic and practical,” he tells Bristol24/7.

“The law should not be geared towards creating the perfect society, but reducing harm.

“People have always taken psychoactive substances, we are not going to stop that from happening, what the role of policy needs to be is reducing the risks. It’s about taking a pragmatic harm reduction attitude to people’s lives.”

In a bid to reduce harm, campaigners are calling for the introduction of safer consumption rooms – a medical facility in which users can administer drugs in a clean, supervised environment – which not only minimises risk to people, but also prevents communities from having to deal with used needles and drug debris in their neighbourhoods.

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Read more: Call for ‘life-saving’ drugs consumption room in Bristol

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James says the Home Office is currently blocking pilots around the country because of the legality of enabling people to take drugs.

“One of our roles is to make a much more honest and open conversation possible,” says the CEO of Transform.

“About the risks, pressure, harm and harm prevention. And what policy should and should not do so we are not all stifled by the fear that we are going to be stigmatised.

“You can take the approach that says people should not have ended up there in the first place and be judgemental about it, and that’s all very well but it does not help.

“People need to get into recovery, but along the way, we need to make what they are doing safer for the community, them and their families.”

Campaigners pictured in front of a mural on Jamaica Street in October 2017 to highlight the harm caused by existing drugs laws. Photo by Cara Lavan

The rise in county lines – in which criminals target and exploit young and vulnerable people to sell illegal drugs – and associated activity has devastating consequences for many communities.

Speaking about the issue, James says: “County lines is complex and a consequence of social deprivation, lack of opportunity and organised crime organisations exploiting vulnerable people, but it’s also a consequence of a drug market that’s entirely unregulated and in the hands of criminal gangs.

“We do need to address poverty and lack of opportunity and vulnerability, but we also need to be honest and address the economic context in that the drug market is unregulated and people who supply the market operate outside of the law so engage in all sorts of criminal activities. That includes violence and exploitation – it’s an incredible lucrative industry that we are trying to suppress not regulate.

“If we overlook the fact that county lines is a supply chain for drugs that are illegal then we are not getting to the heart of it.”

James wants to facilitate more open conversations about drugs policies

He argues that the failure to talk about drug policy transcends right from the top layer of government, down to parents speaking to their children.

“One of the consequences of our current drug policy is it makes it really hard to have an honest conversation about something that is incredibly widespread,” concludes James.

“I want to see social change so that putting forward alternative views on drug policy is widely accepted in the same way we can about alcohol.

“If we can do that, it means we have really started to see what needs to change. We have a system that has been catastrophic and catastrophic for some of the most vulnerable communities, whether that’s communities involved in county lines or people who have been bereaved.”

Read more: Bristol West MP calls on prime minister to reform ‘failing’ drugs laws