Ruth Dudley Edwards: Forget failed war on drugs, we need to make our peace

If we had the courage to legalise all drugs, we could transform so many lives, writes Ruth Dudley Edwards.

'I SAW at close range the failure of the US War on Drugs," wrote Conrad Black in his first post-prison article, "with absurd sentences, (including 20 years for marijuana offences, although 42 per cent of Americans have used marijuana and it is the greatest cash crop in California). A trillion dollars have been spent, a million easily replaceable small fry are in prison, and the targeted substances are more available and of better quality than ever, while producing countries such as Colombia and Mexico are in a state of civil war."

He's right, you know. The war on drugs has failed everywhere, and the consequences are all about us in violence, corruption, bulging prisons and wasted lives. The Mexican president, Felipe Calderon, surveying the nightmare that is his country, has just called for a "fundamental debate" on drug legalisation. After four years in office, faced with 28,000 dead from drug-war murders during that period, he is prepared at last to open his mind.

Last year, Fernando Henriques Cardoso, ex-president of Brazil, called for a policy of harm-reduction through education, treatment and prevention rather than repression. In Latin America, he wrote, 'the "unintended" consequences [of the war on drugs] have been disastrous. Thousands of people have lost their lives in drug-associated violence. Drug lords have taken over entire communities. Misery has spread. Corruption is undermining fragile democracies . . . continuing the drugs war with more of the same is ludicrous."

Before I argue plaintively, yet again, for a grown-up debate on the issue, may I say that my experience of illegal drugs is confined to a few puffs of a few marijuana joints in the Seventies. I didn't like the smell, thought it made me and everyone else boring and haven't had any since, but I didn't care that it was illegal -- since I thought the law an ass -- and I'd acquire some tomorrow if I got one of those horrible medical conditions that it alleviates. Some of my younger friends use ecstasy --which I'd try if I went clubbing -- but I've no interest in cocaine or any other fashionable substances, since I find my legal drug -- alcohol -- provides quite enough enjoyment and stimulation.

Comments

#1. Posted by Grainne Kenny on August 14, 2010

What an extraordinary illinformed article by this journalist. The first responsibiity of any journo is to research their facts. Here Ms Dudley Edwards gives a one sided account of the so called war on drugs citing of all people Conrad Black. Madam, there never has been a war on drugs. Your experience of puffing on a joint or using ecstasy when clubbing raises the question ...when? If you will forgive my ageist question. You do not appear to be of an age, like myself, to be found in such establishments. The strength of cannabis now far exceeds that smoked when you and I would have been socialising. I have never found the need to seek an artifical high thankfully. Life and companions fill my needs. So, if drugs were to be legalised in a free for all. How, may I ask would we provide A and E and Psychiatric services for those affected? How, would we prevent kids in their early teens from using addictive, toxic substances? We have not been able to prevent them accessing the already legal drugs e.g. alcohol and tobacco. How would we address rising suicides from the depression occuring from the use of those substances? The phenonomen of the headshop industry in Ireland has reminded us of the lack of treatment services available both to victims and families. Perhaps you would advise that taxes would pay for those services. They have not paid for the already taxed legal drugs alcohol and tobacco. Who would supply those drugs? If taxed then the blackmarket would already undercut them and provide stronger drugs. Sweden is the only country in Europe where it is in fact illegal to consume an illegal drug. They have the lowest figures of drug consumption. In the Netherlands 79% of the population in a survey objected to their government tolerance and so called seperation of markets. You only have to walk through Amsterdam to see for yourself that the figures are not correct. The Dutch have their own way of collating their research. The independent NGO’s affiliated to EURAD are doing splendid work in opposing the lax culture of the Dutch Government. Do you think it acceptable that yet another stupifying agent is added to the cocktail that is already killing road users? Cannabis stays in the system for weeks on end. Do you want to be nursed by someone under the influence of a narcotic? Do you want children taught by a teacher who had used a legal drug recreationally at the weekend and has the stupifying agent still in his or her system? This is not the silly sixties Ms Dudley Edwards. Drugs are now stronger and we have learned more from doctors, parents, victims and scientists on the stupidy of suggesting that those poisonus substances be legal and therefore socially acceptable and legally available. There are times when it is better to hold your breath to blow on your porrige if you get my meaning.

#2. Posted by Grainne Kenny on August 15, 2010

Ms Dudley Edwards writes that if we were to legalise drugs we would transform many lives. That is quite true. We would transform many lives into addicted, psychotic,suicidal,violent travesties of humankind. Perhaps she would then come up with a solution and the money to treat, cure and stabilise the newly addicted society so that they could rejoin the workfoce and not be a burden on the taxpayer. Noone else has been able to,

#3. Posted by Andrew on August 23, 2010

He is right,banning drugs doesn�t work,it just puts the control of these drugs into the criminals hands.Clean Safer Heroin should be given to these addicts by trained doctors and not scumbag dealers who will mix it with all kinds of bad stuff. If we spent the money we now use on throwing these addicts in jail, and put that money into rehabilitation programmes and needle exchanges where addicts can inject in a safe clean enviroment without doing it on our streets we would reduce the harm this drug is causing. If it wasnt for the dealers letting these people build up debts and threatining them with violence there would be no need for these addicts to steal to support there habit,therefore drug related crime should be massively reduced. Also the power these criminals have been able to build up because of illegal drugs is frightening, people are getting murdered every second day it seems, and people are living in fear. I�m not advocating the use of drugs, but the most dangerous drugs(alcohol,nicotine,aspirin,methadone e.t.c)are already taxed and controled. Decriminalising heroin is not going to cause an increase in its use, this has already been proven in Portugal(google portugal decriminalise drugs). When you brand someone a criminal for using drugs you make them a criminal for life as they will then find getting a decent job much more difficult! Sorry for ranting, but prohibition has never showed one tiny bit of progress. Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.