Discarded heroine needle. Photograph by Richie C
One of the UK’s top police chiefs has admitted that the “war on drugs” has failed, and we need to legalise class A drugs such as cocaine and heroine to strip power away from criminal gangs.
Writing in The Observer, Durham’s Chief Constable Mike Barton said:
“Since 1971 [the Misuse of Drugs Act]prohibition has put billions into the hands of villains who sell adulterated drugs on the streets.”
Whilst he stressed that addiction are a problem for society and that drugs should be controlled, he said that if drugs were available from services such as the NHS then it would cut off a major source of income for criminal gangs, saying:
“Not all crime gangs raise income through selling drugs, but most of them do in my experience. So offering an alternative route of supply to users cuts their income stream off.”
