Pubdate: Thu, 23 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, Chief Political Correspondent
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

BEREAVED PARENTS EXERT PRESSURE ON POLICY DECISIONS

WHO has more influence over the government's policy on drugs, an all-party 
group of MPs or the parents of Leah Betts, the 18-year-old who died seven 
years ago from taking a single ecstasy tablet?

The home affairs select committee yesterday published its long-awaited 
report on Labour's approach to drugs - the product of 11 evidence sessions 
featuring 45 witnesses and 200 written submissions.

In what has been described as a landmark report, the Committee made 30 
major recommendations, including the downgrading of ecstasy from class A, a 
status it shares with heroin and cocaine, to class B - the category for 
so-called soft-drugs.

The response to the report was for the most part reasonable and rational. 
The Police Federation has already backed the suggestion that ecstasy should 
be reclassified, while DrugScope, one of the UK's leading organisations 
dedicated to combating the problems of addiction, welcomed the tone of the 
report, saying it was right to concentrate on the importance of treatment 
rather than prevention.

Only two voices expressed absolute opposition to the downgrading of 
ecstasy: David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, and Leah's parents, Paul and 
Janet Betts.

In her widely-reported response Mrs Betts, said the committee was "totally 
misinformed" and challenged Tony Blair and Mr Blunkett to "have the balls" 
to stick by their earlier promise not to reclassify the rave drug.

A few hours later, the Home Secretary did just that, rushing out a 
statement saying he was opposed categorically to changing the status of 
ecstasy: "Ecstasy can, and does, kill unpredictably and there is no such 
thing as a safe dose.

"I believe it should remain class A. Reclassification of ecstasy is not on 
the government's agenda."

The timing of the remarks added to the perception that the Betts family had 
a greater say on the government's approach towards drugs than a group of 
highly-respected MPs.

The frequency with which the Betts comment on drug-related issues is an 
indication of their sincere and passionate views on the subject. But there 
is also a danger that in wishing to promote their message they have become 
a tool of those wishing to advance views which some regard as an impediment 
to improving our drug laws.

A spokesman for one drugs charity said it was important to be sympathetic 
to those who had lost children through drugs but he questioned whether 
their influence on the wider debate was entirely benign.

"It is very, very hard to have a sensible debate when there's 
understandable but extreme views about these issues. We think it is 
admirable that these families want to try to do something but their support 
doesn't always make for sensible policy and that's a difficult question and 
hard to address," he said.

He believed many of those parents who had suffered the trauma of drug 
addiction first hand were unable to address the problem with sufficient 
perspective. "If they are able to look at the evidence, then the 
contribution they can make is fantastic but it can be hard to have a 
constructive debate when people have been personally affected by it.

He also pointed out that Michael and Pauline Holcroft, who released 
photographs of their heroin-addicted daughter Rachel Whitear, have taken a 
different approach to the problem to the Betts, arguing for Britain to 
adopt Dutch-style treatment programmes.

Another parent who has gone public, Fulton Gillespie, whose son Scott died 
of a heroin overdose two years ago, argued for all drugs to be legalised.
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