|
Europe:
Scottish
First
Minister
Slams
Police
for
Drug
Legalization
Suggestion
5/5/06
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/434/scotland.shtml
Three weeks ago, Scotland's
Strathclyde (Glasgow area) Police Federation, the county's largest police
union, called for the legalization
of all drugs. Last week, the Strathcylde federation's proposal
was among the topics of discussion at the Scottish Police Federation conference,
and that was too much for First Minister Jack McConnell, who pronounced
himself "astonished" at the very idea.
"I think it would be a totally
irresponsible step. I will not support it, and I do not believe it
reflects the opinion of police officers the length and breadth of Scotland,"
McConnell said after the conference. "Every ordinary officer I have
spoken to supports a tough approach to the legislative framework on drugs
and a tough approach to enforcement."
McConnell must not have spoken
to Inspector Jim Duffy, chairman of the Strathclyde federation, who said
three weeks ago: "We should legalize all drugs currently covered
by the Misuse of Drugs Act -- everything from class A to C, including heroin,
cocaine and speed. We are not winning the war against drugs and we
need to think about different ways to tackle it. Tell me a village
where they are drug-free," he said. "Despite the amount of resources
and the fantastic work our girls and guys do, we are not making a difference.
We don't have any control at the moment."
Firmly holding his hands
over his ears, McConnell said that legalization was not part of his agenda
and that he couldn't believe police officers could say such a thing.
"I think it would be a disaster. I'm totally against it and I'm shocked
that any members of the Police Federation would want to support this."
Perhaps, as Inspector Duffy's
remarks suggested, the police support legalization because they have witnessed
a 300% increase in drug use in Scotland since the 1960s, despite decades
of law enforcement efforts to suppress it.
-- END --
|
Issue #434
-- 5/5/06
Editorial:
Oh,
Mexico
(Oh,
the
Embarrassment)
|
Feature:
Mexico
Moves
to
Decriminalize
Drug
Possession
--
No,
Wait,
Nevermind
|
Feature:
Harm
Reductionists
Gather
in
Vancouver
|
Feature:
Building
an
International
Drug
Users'
Movement
--
Activists
Form
Coalition,
Issue
Declaration
|
Offer:
Important
New
Legalization
Video
Available
|
Feedback:
Do
You
Read
Drug
War
Chronicle?
|
Law
Enforcement:
This
Week's
Corrupt
Cops
Stories
|
The
Movement:
Annual
DEA
Event
Generates
Counter-Conference
Next
Week
in
Montreal
|
Celebrity
Bust:
Token
Arrest
as
Radio
Talker
Rush
Limbaugh
Cuts
a
Deal
on
Pain
Pill
Charges
|
The
Government:
Drug
Czar
Under
Attack
From
Right,
Left
|
Marijuana:
University
of
Colorado
Posts
Pics
of
Students
at
Pot
Rally,
Offers
Reward
for
Naming
Them
|
Military
Matters:
Angry
West
Point
Cadets
"Riot"
After
Drug
Search
|
Europe:
Scottish
First
Minister
Slams
Police
for
Drug
Legalization
Suggestion
|
Europe:
Germany
Plans
to
Provide
Free
Heroin
to
Long-Term
Addicts
|
CounterPunch
on
Suppression
of
Marijuana
Research,
Gay
City
News
on
FDA
and
Medical
Marijuana
|
Weekly:
This
Week
in
History
|
Job
Opportunity:
Program
Manager,
Criminal
Justice
Policy
Foundation,
Washington,
DC
|
Summer
Internship:
Americans
for
Safe
Access,
Oakland,
CA
|
Weekly:
The
Reformer's
Calendar
|
This issue -- main page
This issue -- single-file printer version
Drug War Chronicle -- main page
Chronicle archives
|
PERMISSION to reprint or
redistribute any or all of the contents of Drug War Chronicle (formerly The Week Online with DRCNet is hereby
granted. We ask that any use of these materials include proper credit and,
where appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If your
publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet requests checks
payable to the organization. If your publication does not pay for
materials, you are free to use the materials gratis. In all cases, we
request notification for our records, including physical copies where
material has appeared in print. Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network,
P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice), (202)
293-8344 (fax), e-mail [email protected]. Thank
you.
Articles of a purely
educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of the DRCNet
Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
|
