PROTEST TO UN CLAIMS WAR ON DRUGS WORSE THAN ABUSE

Letter Says Billions Of Pounds Spent On Halting Drug Trade Is Wasted

Judges, senior clerics, former drugs squad officers and politicians have
signed a letter to the head of the United Nations claiming that the "war"
on drugs is more harmful than drug abuse itself.

The letter coincides with the opening of the UN general assembly special
session on drugs, which starts in New York next week. The letter to the UN
secretary general, Kofi Annan, which will be sent today, suggests that the
billions of pounds being spent on halting the international drug trade is
being wasted.

Among the thousands of international signatories are the former Prime
Minister of the Netherlands, Andreas Van Agt, the former presidents of
Bolivia and Colombia, Lidya Gueiler Tejada and Belasario Betancourt,
writers Ariel Dorfman and Dario Fo, philosopher Ivan Illich and academics
and scientists. In the United States, three federal judges, a number of
mayors and the President of Stanford University have signed.

The British signatories include Judge Anthony Tibber, Colin Blakemore,
President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Edward
Ellison, former head of Scotland Yard's drug squad, the Bishop of Monmouth,
Ian Sparks, chief executive of the Children's society, and MPs Paul Flynn,
Austin Mitchell and Brian Iddon.

The signing of what will be the largest-ever international call for a
reappraisal of drugs policies has been co-ordinated by the Lindesmith
Centre, a project of the Open Society Institute sponsored by financier
George Soros.

"We believe that the global war on drugs is now causing more harm than drug
abuse itself," says the letter. "Every decade the UN adopts new
international conventions, focused largely on criminalisation and
punishment... UN agencies estimate the annual revenue generated by the
illegal drug industry at $400 billion or the equivalent of roughly 8 per
cent of total international trade. This industry has empowered organised
criminals, corrupted governments at all levels, eroded internal security,
stimulated violence and distorted both economic markets and moral values."

Judge Tibber said yesterday he was "hopeful but not optimistic" that there
would be an open debate on drug policy. "But this government seems to have
completely closed minds on the subject and just do what the Americans tell
them to do." It had been clear for years that the "war on drugs" was lost.

Mr Ellison said that he had reached his conclusion on drugs law in the
1970s when his work as a detective sergeant had mainly involved cannabis.
He had waited until retiring to air his views.

Mr Ellison said that a number of senior officers had considered expressing
views in favour of decriminalisation but had been discouraged from doing so
because of their constitutional position. "I think that's right. I
certainly wouldn't want to live in a country where the police tell the
government what to do, but now that I am retired I can say freely what I
think."

Many former colleagues were anxious for a more logical open discusssion of
the issue and that there was greater opposition within the service to the
idea of legalising prostitution than there was to the decriminalisation of
drugs. He said for such a strategy to work it would have to be introduced
gradually and at least on a European-wide basis. It would also include the
same safeguards as alcohol in terms of sale to minors and driving
restrictions.

The letter concludes by calling for Mr Annan to initiate a "truly open and
honest dialogue . . . one in which fear, prejudice and punitive
prohibitions yield to common sense, science, public health and human
rights."

Checked-by: Richard Lake