Pubdate: Wed, 22 May 2002
Source: Scotsman (UK)
Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 2002
Contact:  http://www.scotsman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/406
Author: Jason Beattie

OUTRAGE AT PLAN TO CHANGE DRUG LAW

AN ALL-PARTY group of MPs has paved the way for the most far-reaching 
overhaul of Britain's drug policy for a generation, backing plans to 
reclassify cannabis and calling on the government to end its hardline 
approach to prevention in favour of controversial treatment programmes.

The highly-contentious report, published today by the Home Affairs Select 
Committee, also recommends the downgrading of ecstasy to a Class B 
substance and advocates the setting up of authorised "injecting houses" for 
heroin users.

However, the committee drew the line at legalising cannabis, unanimously 
stating there was no case for decriminalisation.

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, is expected to cite the majority of the 
report's recommendations later this year when he confirms plans to 
downgrade cannabis to a Class C drug as part of a major shake-up of 
Labour's drug policies.

In its report, backed by all but one member, Angela Watkinson, a 
Conservative MP, the committee argues that the government should focus 
resources on the core 250,000 "problematic" users of hard drugs such as 
cocaine and heroin rather than those whose "drug use poses no serious 
threat either to their own well-being or to that of others".

In addition to setting up "shooting galleries", the MPs call for a pilot 
scheme allowing family GPs to hand out heroin on prescription and new laws 
to permit pharmacists the right to dispense methadone or other forms of 
heroin substitute.

In its most controversial recommendation, the committee backs the Police 
Federation by suggesting ecstasy should be downgraded from a Class A to a 
Class B substance.

Although it rejects claims that the reclassification equated to condoning 
the use of ecstasy, the MPs noted that drug use was a "passing phase" for 
many young people which rarely caused long-term harm.

The recommendation provoked an angry response from Janet Betts, whose 
daughter, Leah, died in 1995 after taking ecstasy at her 18th birthday party.

Mrs Betts said the committee was "totally misinformed".

She added: "The Prime Minister gave me a guarantee last November that David 
Blunkett had specifically ruled out downgrading ecstasy, and I hope Mr 
Blair has the balls to stick by that."

The committee rules out the decriminalisation of drugs, although it 
acknowledged the day may come when the balance is tipped in favour of 
legalisation.

In an initial response to the report, Mr Blunkett ruled out categorically 
the reclassification of ecstasy, but said he welcomed the committee's 
emphasis on the need to concentrate on education and harm reduction.

"I will be making a detailed response to the report after thorough 
consideration before the summer recess, when I will be publishing our 
updated policy programme on the whole area of tackling trafficking, 
dealing, harm minimalisation, addiction and reclassification of cannabis," 
he said.

Introducing the report, Chris Mullin, the Labour chairman of the committee, 
said that the priorities should be realistic education, readily available 
treatment and harm reduction.

"Above all, we need to focus on that relatively small minority of drug 
users who are making a misery of their own lives and those of others," he 
said. "The criminal law should be reserved primarily for dealers."

But committee member Ms Watkinson, the Conservative MP for Upminster, 
distanced herself from her colleagues' conclusions, saying the whole tone 
of the report would encourage greater drug use.

"I think it gives out entirely the wrong message. The whole tone is making 
harm reduction the priority when the priority should be prevention," she said.

"I'm extremely concerned about downgrading ecstasy. The message is it's 
okay to try it. The number of deaths from ecstasy - which I think is 15 a 
year - is dismissed as only a few, but it is 15 too many. "

But her Tory colleague on the committee, David Cameron, 35, backed the 
recommendations, saying: "Drugs policy in this country has been failing for 
decades. I hope that our report will encourage fresh thinking and a new 
approach. We need to get away from entrenched positions and try to reduce 
the harm that drugs do both to users and society at large."

Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman, expressed 
disappointment that the committee had not backed suggestions to 
decriminalise cannabis.

"Concentrating resources on dealing with the regular, problematic drug 
users is sensible, and so the proposals for more or better treatment units 
for cocaine, heroin and crack users are welcome and need urgent 
implementation," he said.
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