Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Policing drugs is expensive - what needs to happen is more countries need to relax drug policies. The UK police had asked the government to relax certain drugs like marijuana - because it was just too much work - dealing with these insignificant 'crimes' - but since Tony Blair left office Brown and (the now infamous) Jacqui Smith placed the drug back in the stronger category. Look at Mexico - talk about the negative effects of drugs - but then look at Portugal - some thought when they stopped arresting people for drug usage - that they were going to have an onslaught of drug migration and that did not happen. In one UK county - started given known heroin and cocaine addicts their drugs - from a clinic - what happened was that the crime dropped so much police were driving around with nothing to do - and making jokes about the police in the next county - who were still extremely busy. But when Blair came in he got rid of the project - likely on moral grounds. But what these UK drug addicts appreciated was being able to sit home and watch TV in the evening and to take a job - without having to go out and steal and prostitute for their drugs. Society perhaps needs to looks at drugs differently - that if some are addicted then we all end up paying. I'd rather see them get their drugs from a clinic - and instead of policing what can't be policed - that money spent on programs telling children 'exactly' what each of these drugs do - rather than some propaganda government issued report - 'Just Say No' - to what? Marijuana for example doesn't lead to injecting oneself with heroin - young people need to be told the truth. But because some kids were lied to years ago some - thought heroin and marijuana were the same - the tragedy was many wealthy kids ended up addicts or hardened junkies. We need to look at a EU wide relaxation of drugs policy and place more emphasis on prevention - through education - and assisting sick - medically ill - addicts - not on the dirty street corner - were diseases are likely spread - for the crime of getting hooked - but in a proper clinic - to allow these people to have some semblance of a normal life - which will benefit all of society.