DRUG STABBING TIME….

What better way to start the week on the BBC with another chance to discuss that hardy perrenial, should drugs be legalised? There’s a discussion at 8.33am  based on a new report from the left-wing Demos propaganda unit. The essence of the debate  is a remarkably mad idea- namely that local Councils and trading standard officers determine what is legal and what is not! You’d have to be ON drugs to think this is a good idea but the BBC seem to be positively wild about it. I wonder why…sniff…

DRUG STABBING TIME

Lobbying for the legalisation of narcotics such as cannabis is an essential part of the BBC narrative and so, on cue, we had one of the “UK’s leading researchers on cannabis” on Today this morning arguing for the licensed sale of the drug for “recreational purposes”. Pity this esteemed “leading researcher”  ignores stories like this.

FREE DRUGS?

I knew that this was one story the BBC would just love. I refer, of course, to the lunatic call from Sir Ian Gilmore for drug use to be de-criminalised. Happily, Dominic Casciani is at hand to explain the difference between decriminalising and legalisation of illegal drugs. The BBC memo is that we cannot win the war on drugs so best divert all that cash to helping drug addicts. Yip – I can see why the BBC likes this one..  

HEROIN CHIC

Syringe and heroin

The BBC’s attitude towards illegal drugs is always suspect and thus when we read this story – which claims that if the State funds heroin addicts habits this then leads to a drop in the crime they carry out-it is right to be suspicious that we are being retailed a political line. I suppose the BBC quite ikes the idea that the British taxpayer funds heroin junkies, and sees no moral issues whatsoever, but I would have thought that they could have found someone – such as Theodore Dalrymple (aka Anthony Daniels)- who takes an opposing view on this issue and thus provide a degree of balance. No such luck.

LEGALISE ALL DRUGS NOW?

Hi all. Been away all day so a quick catch up a number of stories. Did you catch the Today programme shilling for the liberal idea that the Police should give up the fight against the drugs barons and concentrate instead on helping the “victims”. This idea that illegal narcotics should be tolerated, if not fully accepted, is a recurrent theme on the Today programme and a BBC meme. One can only speculate why this should be the case… thoughts?

MARK EASTON – NARCOTICS WARRIOR

Managed to catch the ubiquitous Mark Easton sharing his thoughts on the battle to control illegal narcotics here this morning. There was a bit of a consensus from Mark and Mike Trace, chairman of the “international drug policy consortium”. Can you guess what it was? Yes, that’s right – being tough on drug dealers and cracking down on their illegal networks just doesn’t work. We need to find more, erm, creative ways of “managing” this issue. Probably best to just legalise all drugs and let people get on with poisoning themselves and corrupting our kids, right?

THE DRUGS DON’T WORK ANYMORE….

Did you catch Mark Easton’s glowing report on Portugal’s policy of not prosecuting anyone caught in possession of hard drugs? Here is the content of it. What struck me was the subtle but all too evident admiration Easton exhibits for a government that has given up on the war on illegal narcotics. As Easton concludes…..

Some question aspects of the system but what Portugal’s controversial experiment has demonstrated is that, if you take the crime out of drug use, the sky doesn’t fall in.



THE WAR ON DRUGS

I suggest that any progress against those who peddle dangerous and illegal drugs is to be welcomed. So the claim by the Britain’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) that it is making serious inroads on the cocaine market has to be welcomed. However the BBC was quick to invite Danny Kushlick, of the drug policy think tank Transform, to posit an alternative view, namely that it might be best to make all drugs legal. It’s an odd counter-balance as one could equally argue that Soca and government could do MORE to combat the narcotics trade as opposed to suggesting nothing be done. Perhaps there may be a few at the BBC who take a liberal approach to drugs?