Quakers in Criminal Justice call for end of ‘war on drugs’
Friends discussed the 'war on drugs' during the Quakers in Criminal Justice conference
The Quakers in Criminal Justice (QICJ) group has called for British Quakers to help put an end to the UK’s damaging ‘war on drugs’ policy. The minute was discerned at a conference in February when QICJ met to ‘discuss, discern and learn matters relating to drug policy’.
Melanie Jameson, co-clerk of QICJ, told the Friend that the question that arose was: ‘Can Quakers support legal regulation of drugs?’
She said: ‘The theme of drugs linked to the concern of the Quaker Decriminalisation Network, established by Cornwall Friends, which is now a Quaker Recognised Body. Participants started the weekend with differing views on the “war on drugs”, but by the time we had listened to expert speakers, our knowledge and understanding developed to the point where we were united.’
The minute says: ‘We feel strongly that the present drug policy causes harm as it is based on the criminalisation of people who use illegal drugs. We learnt that criminalisation is ineffective in reducing illegal drug use and that systems used to control drug use make no impact upon prevalence.’
The minute goes on to say that ‘doing nothing is to condone the status quo and the harm caused’. It says: ‘Legal regulation will provide greater protection to people who use drugs. We need a health based system which encompasses harm reduction, health, social care and community resilience.’
The minute also states that ‘drug problems must be addressed alongside the problems caused by an unjust and unequal society. We believe it would be beneficial to have a regulated and licensed supply of all drugs.’
Melanie Jameson said: ‘Our overriding concern is that measures should be taken to reduce the harm caused by illegal drugs. Policies introduced by a number of countries and certain USA states are most instructive. One speaker referred to making dangerous practices safer and ensuring that users obtain a safe and a known substance, in order to reduce the death toll. This is not the same as legalising drugs; supplying of drugs outside regulated licensed schemes would remain a criminal offence.’ The matter will be explored further in the QICJ Special Interest Meeting at Yearly Meeting.
