Outline Policy On Controlled Drugs
The Party is currently working on a draft policy concerning drugs, in particular those substances that can be misused and lead to social harms. The scope of this is those substances that fall within the definitions and rules contained in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and associated legislation.
We are faced with the obvious fact that prohibition and enforcement have not only failed to stop the supply and use of “controlled drugs”, but created an entire subculture served by a criminal underworld that is dangerous, destructive and extremely resource hungry. We believe that there are many negative personal and social consequences associated with the growth of these unregulated criminal markets. As soon as the police stop one enterprise, others quickly fill the gap. Policing ‘controlled drug’ users also means that people are psychologically affected by being under suspicion and constant threat of their lives being sharply disrupted by a raft of police powers, such as surveillance, stop and search, intimate body searches and sampling for analysis, seizure of property including phones and assets, and deprivation of liberty.
The Party believes it is time to take another look at this issue, from entirely different perspectives. There must surely be better, safer and less costly (in both financial and human terms) ways to deal with the issue of drug use/misuse. There is a conversation to be had about whether or not our approach to people interested in using a ‘controlled drug’ should be brought into line with the way we treat people using alcohol and tobacco. Would we be better off licensing and controlling the production of these substances and using educational messaging to raise awareness about their use and potential dangers, like we do with alcohol and tobacco or, do we double down on decades of enforcement failure? We are not suggesting prohibition of alcohol or other drugs that one can legally buy over the counter, but that the overall regulatory structure should be morally and scientifically neutral about drugs and concerned principally about social costs (crime, public health and economic).
As a party dedicated to adult responsibility and medical freedom (which includes a right to refuse treatments/vaccines without sanction), we support adult peaceful choices as a private matter, provided they do not adversely impact upon society. The best protection against drug use leading to misuse is respecting informed choice within an evidence-based regulatory system. Criminalising people for their drug use choice is invariably counter-productive for both problematic and non-problematic cases. Drug use is a popular activity and endless attempts to stop it have not made it any less so. We believe it time to consider whether the continued prohibition of these activities is appropriate in a tolerant society.
We have set up a working group within the Party to look at this issue. It is steered by Keith Lonsdale and Darryl Bickler, a (currently non-practicing) solicitor with considerable experience in this area.
We realise this is topic can be controversial and that any proposal to reform drug related legislation is invariably met with hostility from some quarters but we believe the basic premise of respecting adult choices and protecting society with respect to any popular activity (which drug use undeniably is) should only lead to outright prohibition as an absolute last resort.
If you would like to contribute to this conversation, please feel free to use the contact form and get involved.
Keith Lonsdale
Vice Chairman
Alliance for Democracy and Freedom Party 20th September 2022