BMJ  2007;335:966 (10 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39360.489132.AD

Feature

Head to Head

Should drugs be decriminalised? Yes

Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire OL6 9QH

Recent government figures suggest that the UK drug treatment programmes have had limited success in rehabilitating drug users, leading to calls for decriminalisation from some parties. Kailash Chand believes that this is the best way to reduce the harm drugs cause, but Joseph Califano thinks not

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

There is a way that the UK government could more than halve the prison population, prevent burglaries and prostitution, rip the heart out of organised crime, and free up millions of hours of police time. Yet politicians, terrified of the rightwing press, would never dare to suggest the legalisation, regulation, and control of the drugs market, even though it could save lives and bring an end to the needless criminalisation of some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Even downgrading cannabis—a tiny step in the right direction—is now being reconsidered.

Prohibition drives crime

Prohibition as a policy has failed. Just look at the US, where hundreds of thousands of people have been jailed and, despite billions of pounds of funding for draconian policies, higher purity drugs continue to flood the market.

Many of the violent criminal gangs owe their existence to the burgeoning, underground drug market. It is they—and not the . . . [Full text of this article]

Benefits of decriminalisation

Increased harm

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Brett, M. D (2007). Prevention campaigns work. BMJ 335: 1061-1061 [Full text]  
• Black, S. (2007). Debate the balance of harm. BMJ 335: 1060-1061 [Full text]  
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• Weeks, R. L (2007). Try a little compassion. BMJ 335: 1061-1061 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

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legalisation and wishful thinking

Dr HC Raabe
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