Penalties for all illegal drugs under review (in the UK) | The Guardian

[Ediacara]

Penalties for all illegal drugs under review

James Meikle, health correspondent
Tuesday January 27, 2004
The Guardian

The government's advisers are to review the system of classifying illegal drugs, an exercise which may pave the way for a further overhaul of the narcotics laws.

They plan to review the harmful effects of all the substances governed by the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, which seems sure to revive the debate about whether ecstasy should continue to rank with cocaine, crack, heroin, LSD and magic mushrooms.

The relaxation of penalties on cannabis ,which takes effect on Thursday, is the first substantial change for 30 years.

Sir Michael Rawlins, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which recommended the cannabis changes in the 1980s, said yesterday that it was time to consider whether to go further.

He said his members were investigating new ways of measuring the relative harmfulness of all illegal drugs, which are at present classified as A, B and C, with A being judged the most harmful and attracting the biggest penalty for possession, up to seven years in prison.

More at the Guardian

[legin]

1. It was about 3 or 4 years ago

but when I was at a meeting, a sort of Police and local inhabitants one, someone asked our chief constable whether he thought that ecstasy should be downgraded and the chief constable very lengthly didn't answer the question. So basically he did think that ecstasy should be downgraded.

[sweetheart]

2. I'm praying for a sea change

towards the end of criminalization as an approach towards ending addiction. It is the wisdom preached by every person who's ever had close contact with the drugs reality... and of course not accepted by the professional political nutballs who are entrenched behind the status quo of destroying the youth of britain.

The police are wise to it, as they are on point, and see the issues every day. For all the talk of listening in the Big conversation, not much made it through that thick eardrum.

[lostnfound]

3. Illegalism funds terrorism -- and CIA adventures. n/t

[sweetheart]

4. actually after reading the full article... it says dick

The advisory committee ain't doin' nothing for years... and they're only talking about changing things in the ABC classifaction system of "illegal" drugs. This is not progressive changes to the very principals of criminalization, rather more that ecstacy might be downgraded to a less criminal offense.

Sadly, there is little to celebrate. The institutional stupidity of the opaque system of brutal injustice remains unquestioned.... as stupid as ann widdicomb is ugly.... yes that is VVERRRRY stupid. ;)