Pubdate: Sun, 21 Feb 2016
Source: Sunday Herald, The (UK)
Copyright: 2016 Sunday Herald
Contact:  http://www.sundayherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/873
Author: Tom Gordon

SCOTTISH LIBDEMS: DECRIMINALISE ALL PERSONAL DRUG USE

Under Scottish LibDem proposals, possession of small amounts of 
heroin for personal use would mean a police warning rather than a 
court appearance

HEROIN, cocaine and ecstasy users should face police warnings instead 
of prison if found with small amounts of drugs for personal use, the 
Scottish LibDems will argue this week. The party will use its spring 
conference to advocate decriminalising drug use - as opposed to drug 
dealing  in a fundamental reform of how addiction is dealt with by 
the authorities.

Leader Willie Rennie will ask delegates to make treating drug use a 
health and social issue rather than a criminal one a key manifesto 
pledge for May's Holyrood election.

Writing in today's Sunday Herald, he says: "We're not winning the 
so-called war on drugs and we have to consider the alternatives. We 
do not believe vulnerable people struggling with addiction should be 
imprisoned simply for possessing drugs for personal use."

Possession of a Class A drug such as heroin is currently punishable 
by up to seven years in jail.

Neil McKeganey, director of the Centre for Substance Use Research in 
Glasgow, called the plan "naively optimistic" and said it would 
inevitably increase drug use.

Although high-level drugs policy is reserved to Westminster, the 
LibDems argue that day-to-day prosecution and sentencing guidelines 
can be fine-tuned within Scotland.

A policy document going before next weekend's conference in Edinburgh 
will call for a change to the guidelines "so people caught in 
possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use are referred 
for treatment, education or civil penalties, ending the use of imprisonment".

The plan is to build on a new system of on-the-spot recorded warnings 
being used by Police Scotland for those caught with small amounts of cannabis.

Rennie says warnings should be extended to all classes of drugs held 
in small amounts.

McKeganey said of the plan: "It's exceptionally starry-eyed. The idea 
you can simply differentiate between someone who's using drugs and 
dealing drugs is a fantasy. There's a merger of those two groups, 
with users getting money by selling drugs. It's so detached from the 
reality of the problem."

However David Liddell, chief executive at the Scottish Drugs Forum, 
said: "Recent changes in the police practice in Scotland around 
possession of small quantities of cannabis have brought us more or 
less into line with England in terms of policing possession.

"There is an opportunity to build on this and consider similar moves 
for other substances. The key issue is with regard to reducing 
drug-related harm. We welcome a debate on how decriminalisation may 
be developed in Scotland."

The Netherlands and other jurisdictions publish clear rules on how 
much cannabis a person can carry without the risk of prosecution.

In Scotland, the guidelines are secret, and police officers can also 
exercise their discretion.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom