LEGALISING DRUGS WOULD NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUES

NORTH Wales Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom is never afraid of
speaking his mind, and, in an age when blandness and spin dominate
public affairs, he can sometimes be a refreshing figure.

But his views on the legalisation of drugs are wrong-headed, and the
decision of the North Wales Police Authority to back them is baffling.

Mr Brunstrom has long held the view that UK drug laws should be
overhauled, and the fact that he has submitted a paper repeating that
view - which extends to legalisation of all drugs and offering heroin
on the NHS - is perhaps not too surprising. The councillors and other
individuals who make up Police Authorities are not the people one
would expect to sympathise much with Mr Brunstrom, particularly when
the Authority and the chief have not always seen eye-to-eye.

Yesterday, nevertheless, the North Wales Authority agreed there should
be a review of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, and allowed the Brunstrom
report to be sent to the Home Office. They will argue, as Mr Brunstrom
has done, that it is a radical solution to a serious problem. But
being radical doesn't necessarily equate to being right.

While there are some superficial attractions in the legalisation
argument - one being that it prevents users from being brought into
contact with dealers, another that it takes away the allure of
behaving outside the law - there are many more underlying weaknesses.

Legalisation will not make the problem of drug abuse disappear. The UK
acting alone would also find itself a magnet for those in neighbouring
countries who would want to take advantage of liberalised laws.

And supporters of a move in that direction have failed to explain how
legalisation - which would presumably make drugs more easily available
- - would help protect the vulnerable. Drugs have ravaged many Welsh
communities, and making the supply chain legitimate would not, we
believe, address the social issues at the root of the problem.

It is telling, too, that few of Mr Brunstrom's peers at senior levels
seem to share his views. He dismisses those who disagree with him as
"flat earthers", but the Home Office would be wise to note that he is
the only one of 43 chief constables in Wales and England to have
proposed the move.

Bringing alcohol and tobacco under the remit of a new regime of
dealing with drugs would also, frankly, be unworkable.

There may be legitimate arguments over which substances should be
categorised as class A, B or C drugs too - as there are over cannabis
- - but that is a separate issue from legalisation.

Mr Brunstrom is entitled to his views, and the Home Office has shown
little enthusiasm for them so far. Thinking outside the box is all
very well, but the Chief Constable's ideas, this time, should be left
on the shelf.