Drugs Kill: Rational Debate

Green MP Caroline Lucas has said "fear of the tabloids" has driven UK drug policy for the last few decades.

A group of backbenchers from all parties are urging the government to review the "failing" Misuse of Drugs Act, in a debate brought by Ms Lucas.

It comes as the Home Office publishes two separate reports into different approaches to drug misuse around the world and legal highs in the UK.

The Home Office has said it is not considering any shift in drugs policy...

Ms Lucas said successive governments had consistently refused to take an "evidence-based approach" out of "fear of the tabloids", while Labour's Paul Flynn said drug policy since 1971 had been "evidence-free and prejudice-rich"...

BBC News.

Well said, Caroline.

And well done to Norman Baker, the Lib Dem Home Office minister, for stating the obvious; the drug laws don't work. *

Surprisingly, this was broadly welcomed by the papers.

But fear not, narcophobes, a leading politician makes an intervention like this every few years, and nothing ever changes.

* Much of this debate has been around reducing drug use. Fagburn is all for reducing drug harm, but can't see why reducing having fun is a goal we should be pursuing.

PS If you're interested in evidence-rich and prejudice-free reporting on drugs and drug laws - and challenging media hysteria and lies - please read David Nutt's website, DrugScience.

Thankfully, the gay media never indulges in fact-free scaremongering about drugs...