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Michael Howard Announces Conservative Action On Drugs
Conservatives.com | 11/25/2004

Michael Howard has unveiled a Conservatives' six-point action plan to combat the drugs crisis in Britain.

Accusing the Blair Government of failing families caught up in drug addiction, the Opposition Leader declared: "Conservatives will take action to get youngsters off drugs. All the evidence shows that residential rehab is the best way to get people off drugs for good. And that's exactly what the Conservatives will provide. Life is far too precious simply to be written off. We can give hope to communities and families ruined by drugs. We can build a better future by investing in residential rehab programmes. I am quite convinced it is the way forward".

The Conservative proposals, unveiled by Mr Howard during a campaign speech in Corby, Northamptonshire, would provide more effective treatment for addicts by expanding the number of residential places more than ten fold to 25,000; would give the police powers to divert addicts into treatment without going through the courts; and would help schools to introduce random drug-testing if heads and parents wish it - with special funding for testing machines in each Local Education Authority area.

Other measures include discouraging children from drugs by funding a major advertising and advice campaign with a clear, consistent anti-drugs message: "Drugs are dangerous and you should not take them. They ruin lives." ; (BuzzNote: "This is your brain on drugs..." Can't they at least learn form our mistakes?) by ending the current confusion over whether cannabis is dangerous by restoring its Class B classification ; and deterring drug dealing by reversing Labour changes in the law to ensure that repeat dealers serve a mandatory seven years jail sentence.

Mr Howard said: "There can be few families not touched by the blight or worry of drugs. It's every parent's worst nightmare. Drugs ruin people's lives. They fuel crime. And they destroy communities. We want to give families the chance to win back their children from drugs."

(BuzzNote: The UK should look at its alcohol problem if they want to deal with a drug that ruins lives. Prohibition causes most of the problems with drugs and the rest could be more easily treated without the worry of incarceration and involutary commitment to "treatment" programs.)




War on Drugs is New Battleground for Party Leaders
Stewart Tendler and David Charter | Times Online | 11/26/2004

TONY BLAIR and Michael Howard promised firmer action on drugs as figures published yesterday showed that more 15-year-olds have tried cannabis in England than in any other European country.

The EU survey revealed that Britain also has the highest number of cocaine users across Europe. Cocaine is now as widespread in Britain as in the US.

Mr Blair outlined a three-year strategy to target dealers with a pledge that pushers caught near schools would face stiffer prison penalties.

But in a rival speech on the same topic Mr Howard accused ministers of sending out mixed messages and promised to reclassify cannabis as a Class B drug as part of a clearer approach.

The two party leaders went head to head just as they have done recently on other key policy areas such as the environment and child care.

Mr Blair said that government policymakers had spoken to police and drugs workers before announcing the main points of the proposed Drugs Bill yesterday.

In an admission of the ineffectiveness of previous legislation, he suggested that earlier measures reflected the “complete unreality of a lot of what would be debated in Parliament”.

There will be a new presumption that those caught in possession of more than a certain amount of a drug are guilty of intent to supply, Mr Blair said.

Arrested suspects will be tested and required to attend assessment by drug workers if traces of a Class A drug are found. Magistrates will be given the power to remand for up to 192 hours those who swallow drugs until they pass the evidence.

But the proposals did not include plans floated this week that traces of a drug in the bloodstream could be used for a charge of being in possession of an illegal drug.

Mr Blair said: “We must bear down further on the organised criminals but also the street dealers who peddle the misery of drugs. We must do more to break the link between addiction and crime by getting more people into treatment.

“We are offering a choice. If you are a drug addict engaged in crime you will be offered a way out through treatment and help. If you refuse that offer, it will be made more difficult for you at every stage in the criminal justice system.”

Tackling Drugs, Changing Lives was drawn up after consultation with chief constables and reflects the difficulties drug teams are facing, trying to crack down on the network of street dealers which keeps the multibillion-pound drug trade flourishing.

By 2008 the Government aims to have 1,000 offenders entering drug treatment each week compared with 1,500 a month at the moment.

Andy Hayman, a national police spokesman on drugs and Chief Constable of Norfolk, said: “An inherent strength in these proposals is the way in which officers carrying out the day to day job of drug law enforcement have been consulted by government to ensure that legislators respond to the operational difficulties that are being experienced at street level.”

Mr Howard also promised much more effort to rehabilitate drug addicts. He said that the Tories would find £480 million a year for 25,000 rehab places.

Commenting on the Governemnt’s plans, Mr Howard said: “The Prime Minister’s record on drugs was that ‘reality has not matched his rhetoric’.”

Howard proposes increased powers for the courts and police to direct addicts to residential treatment courses and random drug testing by headteachers in schools.

COCKTAIL OF INITIATIVES

•1998 New targets for cutting drug importations set for police and Customs. Keith Hellawell appointed as drugs tsar with plans to halve the availability and use by young people of heroin and cocaine and cutting by 50 per cent levels of drug-related crime

•2000 Scotland Yard starts Lambeth experiment reducing arrests for cannabis possession to redirect officers against narcotics

•2001 Hellawell sacked as Government reviews drug strategy

•2002 Three of four national targets dropped in favour of reducing the use of class A drugs by people under 25, increasing seizures of heroin and cocaine, and helping the Afghan Government to reduce the production of opium

•2003 Government anxiety at inability to crack big traffickers leads to plans for Serious Organised Crime Agency

•2004 Cannabis downgraded to refocus police drive on middle market of dealers. Drug treatment orders widened




Blunkett Unveils Anti-Drugs Push
Katherine Baldwin | Reuters UK | 11/25/2004

LONDON (Reuters) - The Home Office has unveiled a new crackdown on drugs as part of a raft of anti-crime measures Tony Blair hopes will carry him to victory in next year's expected election.

Blair's opponents hit back, saying he was all talk and no action.

Planned legislation would give police new powers to test for drugs on arrest rather than charge and to enter and close down crack houses. Drug dealers found near schools or using children as go-betweens would face tougher penalties.

The prime minister this week made tackling crime and terrorism the centrepiece of his legislative plans for a new parliamentary session expected to be cut short by a May vote.

The move was designed to wrong-foot the Conservative Party, which has traditionally done well on law and order. Blair's critics also said he was scaremongering to win support -- the same charge made at his U.S. ally George W. Bush.

"By 2008 we want to see safer communities with less crime. We want fewer lives to be destroyed by drug misuse and more young people achieving their full potential free from drugs," Home Secretary David Blunkett said in a statement on Thursday.

Conservative leader Michael Howard said the prime minister talked tough but "reality has not matched his rhetoric".

Howard again attacked the government's decision in January to relax its laws against cannabis. The government gave cannabis a "lower risk" Class C grade, meaning possession of a small amount will not necessarily lead to an arrest or a fine.

The Conservatives would restore the Class B grade to cannabis, expand the network of residential drug treatment places and give more powers to police and courts to send addicts to them, Howard said.

Under its new measures, the government said more addicts would enter treatment and young offenders would be forced into rehabilitation as part of community sentences.

The drugs bill also proposes that those found in possession of more drugs than deemed reasonable for personal use are presumed guilty of supplying.

A new Serious Organised Crime Agency, the British equivalent of the FBI, will tackle organised drug gangs. The government proposed the creation of the agency in a bill on Wednesday.

Blunkett said government anti-drugs measures over past years had produced results, with more people going into treatment, hundreds of drug gangs disrupted and large quantities of heroin and cocaine taken out of the market.

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