“ The trade of arms, drugs and people ... are scourges on the international economy, and we are unable to provide effective responses…Rather than continue to kill and capture traffickers, we could invest in resources for education and training”

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President of Honduras calls for an end to the drug war

Contents

What you can do

Take action - new MP letter writing campaign
Home Office on YouTube
We are looking for office space in London
Help make our 2020 vision a reality
Transform volunteers

Transform News

Transform's submission to the Department of Health's Alcohol Consultation
Radio 4s ‘iconoclasts' asks can drugs be good for you?
Transform in the Observer: “The public is being duped into believing prohibition works”
Transform blog
Transform interns
‘Tools for debate' report dissemination

UK News and Comment

Drug legalisation solution to the credit crisis
UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa comes to England
New cannabis penalties

International News and Comment

New President – what does this mean for drugs?
News from South America
Afghanistan – The mystery of the missing opium
Thailand announces new anti-drug offensive

Film Review

Layer Cake

What you can do

Take Action - new MP letter writing campaign

We are currently trying to get as many people as possible to write to their MP calling for the government to carry out a comprehensive and independent cost-benefit analysis (CBA) which will compare the current UK drug policy with other alternatives, including a health-led regulation and control approach. Given the billions spent each year it seems a reasonable request. When we asked Bob Ainsworth MP (a former Home Office Minister) if the government would even audit enforcement spending he said; "Why would we want to do that unless we were going to legalise drugs?"

We have written a template letter to send to your MP so if you're in a hurry you can literally just fill in your name and address and it will take you no more than five minutes to complete. Obviously you can amend the letter as you wish.

Please ask all your friends and contacts to take this action - the more letters that get out there the more pressure the Government will be under to act.

Here's some text you could cut and paste into an email:

Hi,

Please take this great action. It will only take a couple of minutes.

Help end the Drugs War: Force the Government to reveal the truth

The prohibition of drugs has terrible consequences for millions of individuals, communities and entire countries that far outweigh any benefits that it is supposed to bring. The Government knows it, but for short-term political gain, refuses to even reconsider the war on drugs.

They know, as Joseph McNamara, former police chief of Kansas City, put it: "   The drug war cannot stand the light of day. It will collapse …as soon as people find out what's really going on ."

So the Government is determined to keep us in the dark. Which is why when (the now former) Home Office Minister Bob Ainsworth MP was asked to audit drug law enforcement to see how effective it really is, he refused, saying; "Why would we want to do that unless we were going to legalise drugs?"

Whatever position anyone takes on drugs, all reasonable people must support Government policy being based on facts not fiction. The Government must carry out comprehensive research comparing the costs and benefits of drug prohibition policies with alternatives, including a legal regulation and control approach.

Shockingly this has NEVER been done ANYWHERE. Why? Because the result will be a torch so bright the whole world will see the truth about the War on Drugs.

And you can help make it happen!

Please write to your MP demanding they call on the Government to do this research.

•  If you have five minutes download   this template letter , add your name, address and MP, and send it off

•  If you have a little longer, personalise the letter by changing the wording first

•  For more information, including who your MP is, visit http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Letter_to_MP.html

…and pass this email on to your friends and colleagues!

Home Office on YouTube

The Home Office has set up a YouTube channel ( http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/home-office-videos/ ) and are inviting responses to their video posts. This provides some interesting potential to engage on a level playing field in the public arena. There are currently a number of videos already up, including ‘drugs raid' and ‘drug smuggling'. If there are any budding film-makers out there you could try making and posting a response. If you'd like to run your ideas past us, please email info@tdpf.org.uk .

We are looking for office space in London

Transform is looking for office space in Central London, ideally for three people. Do you have any spare empty office space that we might be able to use on short to medium term basis? As a charity we are exempt from 90% of business rates so many businesses are finding it more cost-effective to house charities in their buildings rather than leaving them vacant. If you're in this situation, or know someone who is, please email info@tdpf.org.uk.

Help make our 2020 vision a reality

Transform's goal is that by 2020 all currently illicit drugs will be controlled and regulated however to achieve this mission we need your help. Please set up a monthly standing order for £20.20 to help us to accomplish our 2020 vision.

You can do this easily through our secure on-line giving pages . If you'd rather, please email info@tdpf.org.uk and we'll send you a form with further details about how to make a donation.

Transform volunteers

Do you have some time to spare and want to help by volunteering for Transform? Our on-line volunteer community is up and running, you simply need to create an account then you can contribute to a number of projects that we're currently working on. Projects range in scale from assisting us with research to helping us to develop our contact base with the idea that there are a range of tasks depending upon the time that you have available. Please email info@tdpf.org.uk if you've got any feedback.

You can log on to the volunteer site here:

http://www.transform-volunteers.org.uk/user/register

Transform News

Transform's submission to the Department of Health's Alcohol Consultation, ‘Safe, Sensible, Social'

Transform has participated in the government's consultation on alcohol control. In line with the submission to the government's tobacco consultation ( submitted in September ), Transform has called for strict regulation, including a ban on TV advertising and all sponsorship of sporting and youth events. Transform has also called for mandatory regulation of the alcohol industry rather than the voluntary code that exists at present

Transform endorsed Alcohol Concern's detailed submission to the alcohol consultation.

Transform also endorsed the Framework for alcohol policy in the World Health Organisation (WHO) European Region , which offers comprehensive and authoritative guidance informed by the best international evidence on alcohol policy effectiveness. It is hoped this WHO document will receive due consideration during the policy development process.

In addition to these endorsements, the thrust of which is clearly supported by the vast majority within the public health field, Transform raised a number of discussion points. The first two of these concern specific issues not raised by the consultation document (on pricing controls and drink driving limits), followed by two additional points on labeling and marketing issues. The submission concluded with some broad observations about the problem with the historical evolution of alcohol policy, specifically:

• The Government's historic failure to stand up to industry pressure, or undertake the potentially unpopular regulatory measures required
• The negative influence of the alcohol industry on implementation of public health based regulation
• The anomalous status of alcohol policy, relative to a) tobacco policy and b) illegal drug policy

The complete submission is available here (pdf)

Radio 4s ‘iconoclasts' asks: ‘Can Drugs be Good for You'?

Transform Patron, Sue Blackmore (and Axel Klein, Transform Trustee) took part in the BBC radio 4 programme ‘Iconoclasts', (a new programme designed to challenge our opinions and perceptions on a range of controversial topics) which aired on Wednesday 29 th October. The title of the discussion was ‘Illegal drugs can be good for you.' Sue's argument was summarised as follows:

Sue argues that most of the problems of drug abuse are really caused by drug prohibition. It would be much better if we decriminalised drugs and taught young people how to use them properly and safely instead. As a psychologist Susan wants to understand the mind. She has experimented with hallucinogenic drugs because she wanted to learn "how to face demons and terrors, how to let go of self, how to explore the further reaches of human experience." She wants a society in which adults are free to take drugs for their own reasons: for comfort and delight, to ease pain, to inspire insight or creativity, and even to face death. Just as we can distinguish between alcohol use and alcohol abuse, so should we accept that there's a place for positive drug use.

You can listen to the complete program online here . Sue also had a blog published on the Guardian's Comment is Free: 'Hang-gliders of the mind'

Transform in the Observer “The public is being duped into believing prohibition works”

The Observer published a Drugs Uncovered special edition, which included 19 articles on various drug stories, polls and interviews. This includes a one page interview with Danny entitled 'The public is being duped into believing prohibition works'

Transform Blog

Now attracting 10,000 unique visitors a month. You can read the blog here.

Transform Interns

This month Transform has taken on three new interns to help out in the office. They include Stuart, who is preparing a briefing looking at how the various European political entities and associated agencies work together, generate and influence policy and law, Claire, who will be carrying out similar work looking at the Devolved Governments and will be assisting with the work of our Communications Team, and Alex who will be helping us with our website and with a number of graphic design projects. We are delighted to have this additional capacity and hope that this will enable us to increase our output. Please contact info@tdpf.org.uk if you are interested in internships in the future.

‘Tools for the debate' report dissemination

Transform have now completed the next stage of our ‘Tools for Debate' dissemination strategy, with copies now sent to all relevant think tanks in the UK. We've had some positive feedback from various think tanks, including a blog by the Adam Smith Institute We've also begun some positive dialogue with the Jubilee Centre, Progressive Vision and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

UK News and Comment

Drug Legalisation Solution to the Credit Crisis

“Gordon Brown should license and tax the sale of all currently illegal recreational drugs at a level that would allow a substantial number of those involved in the trade to come in from the cold, thus incidentally reducing crime – combining this, of course, with oversight and control” Robert Fowke

Robert Fowke wrote an interesting article for the Guardian's Comment is Free, in which he suggests that politicians should look back at the ‘Triumphant Success' of the 1743 Gin Act as a means to deal with the current credit crisis and to help tackle drug addiction.

Fowkes notes that by 1740 gin consumption had reached epic proportions, and that attempts to curb availability had resulted in riots and increased consumption. However the 1743 Gin Act introduced small licensing fees. Authorities were then able to reduce both alcoholism and associated crime levels whilst raising much-needed funds. Fowkes suggests that the government should do the same with drugs. He concludes that the benefits of legalisation would bring between £3.5bn to £6.3bn per year to the Exchequer.

UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa Comes to England

Antonio Maria Costa (Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) will be speaking at the London School of Economics on 27th November between 5-6pm. He will be speaking about the violence, corruption and instability caused by the drugs trade. The event is free and you don't need a ticket (it's first come first serve) so, if you're in the area, why not go along and ask some challenging questions. More information on the event can be found here.

New Cannabis Penalties

As announced in our May newsletter the Home Office are due to re-classify cannabis from Class C to Class B from 26 th January 2009.

This month Jacqui Smith the Home Secretary announced that repeat cannabis offenders will face tougher penalties. People who are caught carrying cannabis for a second time, now face an on-the-spot fine of £80 instead of a warning. However this new approach was almost immediately undermined, as an article in The Times noted: warnings for a first offence will not be placed on the police national computer, making it very difficult for the police to determine whether someone is a first or second-time offender. It is Transform's opinion that the reclassification is essentially populist political posturing and that it will only serve to further marginalise and criminalise millions of otherwise law-abiding people.

International News and Comment

New President – what does this mean for drug policy?

With the exciting news that Obama will be the next president of America, it has left many of us wondering what if anything, this means for drug policy internationally? Whilst it is clear that Obama is not going to make ending the drug war his number one priority, he has stated that America should start treating drug use as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue. His is also in support of repealing the federal syringe ban and ending the Drug Enforcement Agency's raids on medical marijuana patients. However, this month Obama has announced that he has employed Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff, who is a long way from being a progressive on this issue.

It's obvious that reform isn't going to come easily, none the less we remain hopefully that things can at least be improved under Obama's Presidency.

Eric Sterling wrote an article entitled ‘Morning after question: Who will be the Obama Administration's drug policy appointees', which can be read here. More on the story can be read here (a blog by Stop the Drug War) and here (Obama interview on ending the drug war in Rolling Stone magazine).

News from South America

Many South American Governments are increasingly speaking out about how the US-led War on Drugs is harming their societies and that they want to adopt new approaches. Here are a selection of some of the top stories from the past few months:

The Honduran President Manuel Zelaya spoke out in favour of the legalisation of all drugs at a meeting of top Latin American and Caribbean anti-drug officials. He was quoted as saying: "instead of pursuing drug traffickers, societies should invest resources in educating drug addicts and curbing their demand." More can be read on our blog here.

Bolivian President Evo Morales announced that he is ‘indefinitely' halting the operations of the US Drug Enforcement Administration in Bolivia on the basis that it's a complete waste of time and money. More on the story can be read here.

Mexico has been experiencing a horrific spell of brutality this year; estimates suggest that some 4,000 people have already been killed, in an eruption of violence between the drug cartels and the state (more can be found here and here and here ). In response to this Mexican President Felipe Calderon now wants to decriminalise the possession drugs. More on the story can be read here.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has also made a call for decriminalisation. More can be found on our blog here.

Afghanistan – The Mystery of the Missing Opium

Mark Easton wrote a blog this month for the BBC in which he reports on the large quantity of missing heroin. He comments that for the past three years, opium production in Afghanistan has been running at almost twice the level of global demand, yet law enforcement officials have been left wondering where this surplus heroin is. He poses two credible theories:

1. A large, undocumented market has opened up in countries (such as Russia, Iran and Kazakhstan), which don't admit to the problem.
2. Vast quantities of heroin and morphine are being stockpiled.

The blog can be read here. There was also an interesting related article in the Independent: The Big Question: Why is opium production rising in Afghanistan, and can it be stopped?

Thailand announces new anti-drug offensive

The Thai government have announced that they are launching a new crackdown on drugs. The Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said the new 90-day offensive could be seen as a continuation of the 2003 drug campaign. More on the story can be found on our blog here.

Film Review

Layer Cake

Layer Cake, staring Daniel Craig and Sienna Miller, introduces us to the world of the cockney gangster and the drug dealer. I recently re-watched this film, and although I have to admit it's not my favourite, all the twists and turns are a bit much, the opening sequence is really fantastic. It perfectly summaries how great an opportunity the prohibition of drugs is for organised criminals, and why drugs will become legal. Follow the link below to watch the introduction on YouTube:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QHKI8zMHCjE