Your Body Your Choice

TEN REASONS TO LEGALISE ALL DRUGS

1. THE RESTORATION OF OUR RIGHT TO USE WHATEVER WE WANT

It is our choice what we do with our bodies and minds. Millions of individuals exercise their freedom to use despite the drug laws.

DRUG USE ITSELF SHOULD NOT BE A CRIME.

* Legalisation restores our civil right to use drugs to change the way we think and feel. It also leaves millions of people free to pursue their drug use without being defined as criminals.

2. REMOVAL OF THE CRIMINAL MARKET PLACE

The market for drugs is demand led - millions of people want to buy illegal drugs. Making the production, supply and use of some drugs illegal creates a vacuum into which organised crime moves. we have created a criminal market by making certain drugs illegal.

* Legalisation would force organised crime from the drugs trade and enable us to regulate and control the market in much the same way as tobacco and alcohol (i.e. licensing, laws on sales to minors).

3. ACCESS TO TRUTHFUL INFORMATION AND EDUCATION

A wealth of disinformation about drugs use is given to us by the ignorant and prejudiced mainstream media who peddle myths upon lies for titillation and profit. This creates many of the risks and dangers associated with drug use.

* Legalisation would enable us to disseminate open, honest and truthful information to users and non-users to help them to make decisions about whether and how to use. Research could also be done on presently illicit drugs to discover all their effects - both positive and negative.

4. REVENUE CAN BE RAISED THROUGH TAXATION

Illicit drugs are among the top three traded commodities on the planet - along with oil and arms. The distortion of economies through illegal drug sales is enormous. The loss in taxes is also huge.

* Legalisation would enable us to raise money form drug sales and spend most of it on drugs education, treatment, leisure and social facilities.

5. A MASSIVE REDUCTION IN CRIME

The price of illegal drugs is determined by a demand led unregulated market. Using illicit drugs is very expensive. This means that dependent users are forced to steal to raise funds. An enormous amount of time and money is spent targeting recreational users who are otherwise lawful citizens anc convicting problematic dependent users whose underlying problems are further compounded by the legal system.

* Legalisation would enable us to regulate the market, determine a much lower price and remove the need to raise funds through crime. Our legal system would be freed up and our prisons emptied. Although most cigarette smokers are dependent addicts, the price is so low that there is no need for them to offend to support their habit.

6. ILLICIT DRUG USE HA BECOME NORMALISED

Recent research shows that over half of all 15-16 year olds have used an illegal drug. Up to one and a half million people use ecstasy every weekend. Illegal drug use amongst young people has become normalised.

"Just Say No" is translated into "Just Say Now". Intensifying the War on drugs is not reducing demand. When cannabis was decriminalised in Amsterdam use amongst young people fell.

* Legalisation accepts that drug use is normal and that it is a social issue, not a criminal justice one. How we deal with it is up to all of us to decide.

7. PEACE ON THE STREETS

Most of the violence associated with illegal drug use is caused by its illegality. Traders in the unregulated market literally fight for their share of the money.

* By legitimising the market and bringing in controls and regulations, only legal business could operate. there is no violence associated with the legal tobacco market.

8. TO MAKE ALL DRUG USE SAFER

An illegal unregulated market is a dangerous place to buy drugs. there are no British Standards and no quality control. The ingredients and purity of illicit drugs are often unknown to the buyer. Prohibition is literally killing people.

* Legalisation would enable all drugs to be quality controlled, a list of ingredients displayed together with health warning and advice. We could tighten up the controls on alcoholic drinks which currently do not display ingredients or carry health warnings.

9. GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS

Making certain drugs illegal has ruined the legitimate production of indigenous people's agricultural crops. Many countries are forced by economics to grow cash crops for illicit drug production instead of food.

* Legalisation relieves some of the pressure to grow cash crops thereby enabling those countries to grow the crops they need to.

10. NA END TO A LOUSY WAR

War is a lousy foreign policy and a insane domestic one. Increasingly it is being fought against illicit drug users, (the vast majority of whom are otherwise law-abiding citizens). The only sane alternative is to declare peace and start again with transformed attitudes, policies and laws.