Punitive drug law enforcement failing, says Home Office study
UK government study finds no evidence that harsh sentencing curbs illegal use and documents success of Portugal’s decriminalisation
The Guardian (UK)
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Thursday, October 30, 2014
There is no evidence that tough enforcement of the drug laws on personal possession leads to lower levels of drug use, according to the UK government’s first evidence-based study. Examining international drug laws, the groundbreaking Home Office document brings to an end 40 years of almost unbroken official political rhetoric that only harsher penalties can tackle the problem caused by the likes of heroin, cocaine or cannabis. It is signed off by the Conservative home secretary, Theresa May, and the Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker. (See also: Government’s drug laws survey was suppressed, Lib Dem minister says)
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