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‘We need a drugs policy that reduces harm and risk’
The harm that drugs are wreaking under the current legal framework is evident, says the Bristol West MP calling for reform.
Thangam Debbonaire has spent much of this year working with various agencies and gathering evidence in a bid to seek an alternative way of tackling the issue. She will feature in a BBC documentary series on drugs to be screened this autumn.
Debbonaire has set out her argument for change ahead of a public debate on the subject which she will be chairing as part of Bristol Take Drugs Seriously week, organised by think tank Transform and campaign group Anyone’s Child.
is needed now More than ever
Former undercover cop Neil Woods will take part in the discussion on September 29
Leading expert on drug legalisation Steve Rolles will join Woods and Debbonaire
“I gave a speech in parliament about this following the publication of the Government’s Drug Strategy 2017. I think the Government missed an opportunity to overhaul drugs legislation, particularly because the current regime we have is not helping us deal with risk and reduce harm,” Debbonaire tells Bristol24/7.
“We have a regime where the most dangerous drug, which is alcohol, is legal and the next most dangerous, heroine, is illegal. There is a lot of confusion.
“If we start from the premise that there is no safe consumption of any drug, we can have regulation and ensure that those people taking it are able to make an informed decision about what they are about to take and how they can reduce risk and harm.
“If I want to drink, I can go to a supermarket and I know it’s regulated. I know that the person selling it is licensed and there are laws protecting me. I can also safely and legally get information about risks.
“In contrast, if one of my constituents, who is otherwise a law abiding person, wants to consume some ecstasy on a Saturday night, it’s impossible to get one without breaking the law and then you don’t know what you are getting.”
Debbonaire believes adopting an attitude of ‘don’t take it because it’s illegal’ is unrealistic and unhelpful and leaves a system in which there is an unregulated, black market in the hands of criminals – who have no interest in harm reduction and every incentive to increase dependence.
She continues: “We should concentrate our actions on the really bad people who exploit and abuse people and traffic drugs. At the moment, we are criminalising the low level users and that does not help.
“Revising the legal framework is one thing, but it’s not the only thing. We need a framework that protects people and gives them access to treatment.
“I see the harm that drugs are doing in the current legal framework. People are criminalised by the drug use and so they turn to more criminal behaviour. That’s not helping anyone.
“We see drugs litter on the streets because we do not have safe consumption rooms and that affects everyone.”
Transform and Anyone’s Child are holding a week of action in Bristol from Friday, September 29 to Saturday, October 7 to highlight the need for change in order to end the war on drugs.
Transform campaigners say laws need to change in order to end the war on drugs
Jane Slater, campaign manager for Anyone’s Child, says: “For more than 50 years, we’ve tried to control drugs by making them illegal and it simply hasn’t worked. Rather, it has ruined many people’s lives and caused immense harm.
“We are now calling for legal regulation of the drugs trade. This will take drugs out of the hands of criminals, giving proper responsibility to medical professionals, doctors and pharmacists.
“Contrary to what many may believe, this doesn’t mean that a free-for-all – as prohibition has already, tragically, resulted in that for us; we want regulation so that we can keep our families and children safe and better protected.”
Activities throughout the week include a production at The Bristol Improv Theatre from 8pm on Monday (October 2), the unveiling of a mural in Stokes Croft and activist training on Saturday (October 7) from 11am to 2pm.
Read more: Ex-undercover cop Neil Woods on ending the drugs war
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