POLL: Should all drugs be legalised and regulated?
A former undercover officer who spent years working to infiltrate criminal drugs gangs will be talking at tonight’s This is Democracy event.
Neil Woods spent is the guest speaker at the Islesburgh Community Centre for the debate titled Keeping Shetland Safe? – Exposing the War on Drugs.
Mr Woods spent years working undercover to catch the gangsters involved in the drugs trade.
During this time he underwent a “volte-face” in his thinking on drugs, the people who use them and the criminal justice system.
Whereas he once believed he could make a difference by taking down the bad guys, he eventually came to realise his work and that of the wider criminal justice system was only making the problem worse.
“You could take any theoretical measure of a prohibition policy – reducing access to drugs, keeping people safe from drugs, protecting children from drugs, reducing overdoses, educing addiction,” he said.
“Not only does it fail in every one of those measures, it actually makes every one one of these measurably worse.”
After leaving the police, Mr Woods joined the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (Leap)- an international movement of police officers advocating for drug policies based on scientific evidence.
Put simply, Mr Woods and his colleagues believe drugs should be a health issue, not a criminal matter.
It is a view shared by Shetland Greens councillor Alex Armitage, who has helped organise tonight’s event.
Dr Armitage would like to see all drugs legalised and regulated, thereby taking them out of criminal hands, and making them safer for the people who use them.
By removing the criminality from drug use, Dr Armitage and Mr Woods believe people have a better chance of overcoming the underlying issues which can lead to addiction.
However, opponents say legalisation or decriminalisation risked sending out a message that drug use is acceptable, which they believe is wrong.
What do you think? Take part in our poll and let us know.
Tonight’s event runs from 7pm-9pm.
Sean Elphinstone
The answer is yes. Do something like Portugal where shame goes to the drug users. It works, they may think taking drugs is ok but within the community they will find out that it is not ok morally which will hopefully make them stop with the support from the community they are from.
Rob Watson
Problem is that not all drugs are equally bad. The full on legalisation of drugs argues an equivalency between smoking a joint, or drinking a couple of pints, with taking heroin or crack. Some drugs are so destructive, both on a personal and a societal level, that they should obviously be criminalized.
Grahame smith
You mean like alcohol?