A worthwhile read from the Guardian today… after this
Starmer was asked whether he thought there was a case for decriminalising cannabis possession.
He said he had “never subscribed to that view”, adding “when I was Director of Public Prosecutions, I prosecuted many, many cases – or my team did – involving drugs and drug gangs and the criminality that sits behind”.
Starmer, who was appointed Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 2002, said drugs “cause huge issues for vulnerable people across the country”.
He went on to claim “I’ve seen too much of the damage that sits behind drugs for me to go down that route”.
Starmer agreed that the UK’s current drug policy is “roughly right”
While other countries turn away from the futile ‘war on drugs’, politicians here are still falling for the ‘evil’ narcotics narrative
Don’t worry UK here in Australia it is just as bad and yes just like the UK the labor opposition buy into the evil drugs narrative too!
The Guardian write..
The wave of drug policy reforms washing over the US seems likely to drag President Biden with it. Once an avid drug warrior, Biden is now claiming that he would like to see a change in legislation across the whole country, arguing that “no one should go to jail for a drug offence”. This is a stark contrast to Labour leader, Keir Starmer, who has reiterated that he wouldn’t support the drug policy reforms currently being implemented in many countries.
Starmer recently took the opportunity to remind the public that he took pride in prosecuting “many, many cases involving drugs and drug gangs” when he was director of public prosecutions. The most recent Ministry of Justice statistics show that drug offences are still one the most common reasons why people end up in prison in the UK, accounting for 27% of all prisoners currently being held on remand, the largest percentage for any offence.
And drug offences are repeatedly shown to be among the main drivers of racial disparities within Britain’s criminal justice system. Black and Asian drug offenders are far more likely to receive an immediate custodial sentence when convicted than white offenders. Some might be able to overlook such injustices if the system worked. But the criminalisation of drugs has not produced the “drug-free world” that some once dreamed of. By the United Nations’ own estimation, around 275 million people continue to use prohibited drugs each year.
Read their full report at
Also see
As Joe magazine reports
Starmer’s comments have been condemned by the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP UK).
LEAP UK is a group of senior police officers and law enforcement figures who believe the UK’s drug laws need a complete rethink.
The organisation includes police chiefs, ex-undercover detectives, former MI5 officers and military personnel – all of whom subscribe to the view that the current system is “destined to fail”.
In an exclusive statement provided to JOE, LEAP said it is “deeply concerned” with Starmer’s stance on drug policy.
“We are deeply concerned and regret to hear Mr Starmer’s comments, with his belief that our drug policy is ‘roughly right’,” began the statement.
“We currently have the worst number of drug deaths on record, we have more people in prison than ever before, and we now have new tactics for organised crime groups such as county lines.”
LEAP say the perceived success of major drug busts only “displaces and exacerbates the problem”, adding “crime groups have diversified their supply chains, having tremendous success in doing so, reaping more profits than ever before, and exploiting vulnerability more than ever”.
Read more at
https://www.joe.co.uk/politics/drug-cops-keir-starmer-cannabis-264591
