Tom Lloyd on the petition to ‘Make the production, sale and use of cannabis legal’.
Many of us working for drug law reform are becomingly increasingly frustrated at the government’s refusal to enter into a debate on the subject. We present sound arguments, backed by credible evidence, that our current policy isn’t working and make coherent proposals for how a more effective, harm reduction approach would work. These approaches (even when supported by over 200,000 signatures on an official petition, and substantial numbers of citizens wanting change ) are summarily dismissed with a pre-prepared statement that says, in effect, “we will not change our policy because everything is working well”.
You would have thought that a responsive government, committed to the democratic process, would at least support a proper discussion (and I don’t mean a non-binding Westminster Hall debate, without the Home Secretary or Prime Minister present) rather than ignoring the views of a huge number of citizens.
Well, if the government is impervious to evidence and reason will it be similarly unresponsive to accusations of being anti-democratic?
Why will they not engage in a public debate?
Are they frit?
Tom Lloyd is the former chief constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary and now an international drug policy advisor.Â
You can read his blog here, and the full government response here.