Newsgroups: alt.hemp,alt.drugs,talk.politics.drugs
From: [Stewar t P] at [tuareg.demon.co.uk] (Stewart Parkinson)
Subject: UK Police debate legalisation
Date: Fri, 10 Jun 1994 14:45:21 +0000

From 'The Independent' newspaper, 9th June 1994.

(Many articles have appeared in the UK press on this subject.  The following
is the most complete.)

POLICE CHIEFS APPEAL FOR DRUGS REVIEW

by Jason Bennetto, Home Affairs Correspondent

Two senior police officers yesterday stepped up their calls for the 
decriminalisation of drugs, but any relaxation of the law was immediately
ruled out by the Prime Minister.

Keith Hellawell, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, and Raymond Kendall
secretary-general of Interpol, both said they backed decriminalisation.

Mr Hellawell -  who has called before for soft drugs to be decriminalised 
but not legalised  -  said this position was now the policy of Chief Police
Officers.

He told the association's national drugs conference in Wakefield, West 
Yorkshire, that drug use in large areas of Britain has been in effect 
decriminalised.  More than half of the first-time offenders who took soft
drugs, mainly cannabis, escaped prosecution and were cautioned.

Mr Kendall, a former Scotland Yard detective, said:  "If someone is caught
with drugs they should be treated, not convicted.  The difference between
hard and soft drugs is a smokescreen  -  I don't see any difference between
them."

Mr Hellawell said British police forces could not support such an approach
and legalisation of drugs was "not on the agenda".  He is currently studying
the effects of the greater use of cautioning and is due to report back to the 
association later this year.

Mr Kendall told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that he supported the
decriminalisation of all drug use.

"I am favour of decriminalisation but not favour of legalisation," he said.
"I think we should accept the reality of the situation...that there are 
many, many drug users who are living in a situation of illegality already.

"Since they cannot be brought into the justice system and the police are 
simply cautioning generally the average cannabis user, we have a situation
that says most of these people are not being dealt with by the law, which
is not a healthy situation."

These views were countered by John Major, who said during a visit to 
Cleveland that he was completely opposed to the decriminalisation of soft 
drugs.  "I don't believe that is right," he said.

"I understand why some people approach the problem from that angle but I
profoundly disagree with it.  I fear that if you make it acceptable for
people to have drugs, they will find it acceptable and they will move from 
soft drugs to hard drugs, so I don't at all personally favour
decriminalisation."

Lord Mancroft, a Conservative peer and drugs campaigner, who addressed the 
ACPO conference, said drugs should be sold on the high street in narcotics
"off-licences".  Lord Mancroft, a member of the All-Party Misuse of Drugs
Group, called for hthe legalisation of drugs to combat the growing
black market.

He said: "The black market in drugs is fuelled by money, so the first step
must be to remove the profit.

"By supplying drugs to those who really want them, through government-
controlled outlets, a sort of cross between an off-licence and a chemist, at 
a realistic price, the need to purchase from the black-market is eliminated."

He added: "The great majority of cannabis users encounter negligible 
problems...Using the criminal law as a means to prohibit the use of drugs 
has failed."

The Home Secretary, Michael Howard, will address the conference today and
reaffirm the Government's opposition to decriminalisation.  He will 
emphasise its commitment to tackling the problem at source by curbing supply
and demand.


END

Of course Michael Howard stood up and did indeed say that.  Then again, the 
Tories just got a bloody nose in the local elections so who knows what is set
to happen ?

-- 
Stewart Parkinson