Roar Mikalsen - HUMAN RISING - radiofri..

“Until only a few decades ago, the law of the UK treated problematic drugs users for
what they largely were — vulnerable people in need of help. Prohibition now turns
those without substantial means into social outcasts. Large numbers of people,
otherwise law abiding, are being criminalised in a way that has already been
demonstrated to be ‘arbitrary’, and it seems to me in conflict with the principles
underlying the European Charter of Human Rights. (…) If policy on drugs (…) in the
future [is] to be pragmatic not moralistic, driven by ethics not dogma, then the current
prohibitionist stance will have to be swept away as both unworkable and immoral, to
be replaced with an evidence based unified system (specifically including tobacco and
alcohol) aimed at minimization of harms to society. Such a strategy leads inevitably to
the legalisation and regulation of all drugs.” 42
Storbritannia har flere slike politimenn med både mot og forståelse nok
til å ta avstand fra lovgivningen. En annen er tidligere politisjef Tom Lloyd, som
sa dette i et innlegg i the Guardian den 20. september 2009:
“Several generations have now lived under the shadow of the Misuse of Drugs Act
1971, including police officers like me who became increasingly disillusioned with its
effects. Despite all the money and effort poured into the so-called ‘war on drugs,’ the
inexorable spread of drugs and the accompanying damage is powerful testament to
failure. What we are doing is not only very expensive and misdirected activity, but
actively counterproductive and harmful. (…) If the money wasted on misinformation,
low-level enforcement and condemnation had been spent on tackling the underlying
causes, so many blighted lives could have been different. There are other options, but
sadly we cannot hold a rational public debate as serving officers or politicians who
dare challenge the ‘war on drugs’ orthodoxy justifiably fear being pilloried by our
national press.” 43
Som Lloyd er inne på her, prioriterer de fleste politikerne en karriere på
maktens premisser, heller enn å tåle hardt vær for sitt ståsted. Men det finnes
også politikere som har integritet nok til å reagere på det som skjer. Mo
Mowlan var ansvarlig for Blair-regjeringens narkotikapolitikk fra 1999 til 2001.
Dette sier hun selv:
“From my experience of being responsible for drugs policy in the previous government,
I came to the conclusion that legalisation and regulation of all drugs was the only way
to reduce the harmful effects of this unstoppable activity. (…) One of those reasons
(…), is that we need to detach the international drugs business from criminality — not
least because it would further isolate international terrorism by removing the finance
44