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PocketLady



Registered: 01/18/10
Posts: 1,773
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One of the UKs chief constables says class A drugs should be decriminalised 1
#18906198 - 09/29/13 08:36 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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http://news.sky.com/story/1147788/police-chief-make-class-a-drugs-legal
Durham's chief constable has called for class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine to be legalised.
Mike Barton has claimed the war on drugs has failed and decriminalisation is the best way to strip power away from criminal gangs.
Writing in The Observer, the national intelligence leader for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) also suggested the NHS should supply class A drugs to addicts.
"Not all crime gangs raise income through selling drugs, but most of them do in my experience," Mr Barton said.
"So offering an alternative route of supply to users cuts off the gang's income stream.
"If an addict were able to access drugs via the NHS or some similar organisation, then they would not have to go out and buy illegal drugs.
"Drugs should be controlled. They should not, of course, be freely available.
"I think addiction to anything - drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc - is not a good thing, but outright prohibition hands revenue streams to villains."
Under Mr Barton's direction, Durham Constabulary launched Operation Sledgehammer, a sustained campaign to "get in the faces" of organised crime gangs.
He has previously claimed to seek inspiration in the way notorious Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone was finally brought down not for bootlegging, but tax evasion.
Mr Barton, who has served for nearly 34 years, said he had witnessed a worsening drug addiction problem since prohibition began in 1971 with the Misuse of Drugs Act.
He argued that pushers had made billions from adulterated drugs, transforming them into local folk heroes for young people.
"Decriminalising their commodity will immediately cut off their income stream and destroy their power," he said.
"Making drugs legal would tackle the supply chain much more effectively and much more economically than we can currently manage."
Mr Barton said that offering drugs therapeutically through the NHS and similar organisations would avoid the spread of HIV and hepatitis C among needle users.
But he underlined that he was in favour of their use in a controlled environment, rather than a "free for all".
"I am saying that people who encourage others to take drugs by selling them are criminals, and their actions should be tackled," he said.
"But addicts, on the other hand, need to be treated, cared for and encouraged to break the cycle of addiction. They do not need to be criminalised."
ACPO's national policing lead on drug-related crime Chief Constable Andy Bliss said: "Clearly, a senior colleague like Mike Barton is entitled to his views and he has added his contribution to the national debate, but it would be ACPO's position that these are matters for parliament to decide.
"We need in particular to be very thoughtful about setting clear boundaries, especially for young people, in relation to drugs, their misuse and criminal activity surrounding them."
-------------------- Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity. The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death. Tomorrow, when resurrection comes, The heart that is not in love will fail the test. ~ Rumi The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny. ~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir
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gulper2323
Unknown Landscape Climber



Registered: 06/17/12
Posts: 1,282
Loc:
Last seen: 1 year, 10 days
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Re: One of the UKs chief constables says class A drugs should be decriminalised [Re: PocketLady]
#18906283 - 09/29/13 09:08 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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I wonder could I claim to be addicted to LSD and get LSD from the NHS in such a situation 
They have labeled it as a drug with high potential for abuse
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PocketLady



Registered: 01/18/10
Posts: 1,773
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Re: One of the UKs chief constables says class A drugs should be decriminalised [Re: gulper2323]
#18906431 - 09/29/13 10:10 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Haha, I was thinking the same thing!
-------------------- Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity. The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death. Tomorrow, when resurrection comes, The heart that is not in love will fail the test. ~ Rumi The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny. ~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir
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Lord_McLovin
mad scientist on shrooms



Registered: 04/09/11
Posts: 3,071
Loc: infinite dimensional void
Last seen: 6 years, 1 month
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Re: One of the UKs chief constables says class A drugs should be decriminalised [Re: gulper2323]
#18907176 - 09/29/13 01:35 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
gulper2323 said: I wonder could I claim to be addicted to LSD and get LSD from the NHS in such a situation 
They have labeled it as a drug with high potential for abuse 
Laugh at me, if you like, but I think this is how things will turn out to be.
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gulper2323
Unknown Landscape Climber



Registered: 06/17/12
Posts: 1,282
Loc:
Last seen: 1 year, 10 days
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Re: One of the UKs chief constables says class A drugs should be decriminalised [Re: Lord_McLovin]
#18907497 - 09/29/13 03:06 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Lord_McLovin said:
Quote:
gulper2323 said: I wonder could I claim to be addicted to LSD and get LSD from the NHS in such a situation 
They have labeled it as a drug with high potential for abuse 
Laugh at me, if you like, but I think this is how things will turn out to be.
If they did turn out to go this way (instead of going the way of full legalization) I wouldn't be too disappointed
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lessismore
Registered: 02/10/13
Posts: 6,268
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Re: One of the UKs chief constables says class A drugs should be decriminalised [Re: gulper2323]
#18910517 - 09/30/13 09:23 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Lsd vending machines on every street
And weed 
But weed we already have on every street
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