War on drugs a ‘disaster’ says MP in legalisation call

Former defence secretary Bob Ainsworth has called on MPs on both sides of the house to support “an independent, evidence-based review exploring all policy options, including further resourcing the war on drugs, decriminalising the possession of drugs, and legally regulating their production and supply.”

The Labour backbencher, who was previously a Home Office drugs minister, claimed the “war on drugs” has been “nothing short of a disaster” and insisted it is time to look at other options.

“Leaving the drugs market in the hands of criminals causes huge and unnecessary harm to individuals, communities and entire countries, with the poorest hardest hit,” he said.

“We spend billions of pounds without preventing the wide availability of drugs.

“It is time to replace our failed war on drugs with a strict system of legal regulation, to make the world a safer, healthier place, especially for our children.

“We must take the trade away from organised criminals and hand it to the control of doctors and pharmacists.”

Crime Prevention minister James Brokenshire criticised Mr Ainsworth’s suggestions. He said “drugs are harmful and ruin lives – legalisation is not the answer.

“Decriminalisation is a simplistic solution that fails to recognise the complexity of the problem and ignores the serious harm drug taking poses to the individual.

“Legalisation fails to address the reasons people misuse drugs in the first place or the misery, cost and lost opportunities that dependence causes individuals, their families and the wider community.”

Earlier this month, the government launched its new drug strategy, which it said was aimed at “reducing demand, restricting supply, building recovery and supporting people to live a drug-free life.”

It puts more responsibility on individuals to get help to overcome dependence on drugs. It also includes an emphasis on government departments, including health and education, working together to tackle the problem. The government insisted it will take action to seize the assets of people involved in the drugs trade and give teachers greater powers to search for and confiscate drugs and alcohol in schools.