NORTH WALES POLICE CHIEF CALLS FOR DRUGS TO BE MADE LEGAL

NORTH Wales' Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom is calling for the
legalisation and regulation of all drugs - and next week will ask
North Wales Police Authority to back him.

The region's top cop reckons existing drug laws are "not fit for purpose".

"In a nutshell, I'm advocating the repeal of the Misuse of Drugs Act
and the consequent legalisation and regulation of all drugs," says Mr
Brunstrom, who describes drugs prohibition as "unworkable and immoral".

"Central to existing UK drugs policy is the ABC classification
system. It is now indefensible both legally and ethically.

"It is arbitrary and subject to politically motivated manipulation.
It is a disgrace."

The Chief Constable has set out his arguments in a detailed report
which will go before the Police Authority on Monday. He hopes his
document will be adopted as the North Wales response to Government
and Assembly Government consultations about future drugs laws in the UK.

Mr Brunstrom says: "UK drug policy for the last several decades has
been based upon prohibition, with a list of banned substances placed
into three classes - the ABC system - and draconian criminal
penalties for the possession or supply of controlled drugs.

"This system has not worked well. Illegal drugs are now in plentiful
supply, and have become consistently cheaper in real terms over the
years. The number of users has increased dramatically.

"Drug related crime has soared equally dramatically as a direct
consequence of the illegality of some drugs, and the huge profits
from illegal trading have supported a massive rise in organised criminality."

Mr Brunstrom wants the Authority to back him in calling for a change
in the Misuse of Drugs Act to the Misuse of Substances Act which
would include alcohol and nicotine.

He also calls for the Authority to affiliate to the charity Transform
Drug Policy Foundation, which campaigns for the repeal of prohibition
to be replaced with a legal system of regulation and control.

Yesterday the charity praised Mr Brunstrom for his "great leadership"
and warns "those that denounce him should be wary of relying on what
Mr Brunstrom calls 'moralistic dogma'."

Danny Kushlick, Transform Director said: "We are absolutely delighted
at Mr Brunstrom's paper. The Chief Constable has displayed great
leadership and imagination in very publicly calling for a drug policy
that replaces the evident failings of prohibition with a legal system
of regulation and control for potentially dangerous drugs."

The current system for classifying harmful drugs "illogically
excludes" both alcohol and nicotine says Mr Brunstrom. In fact while
alcohol and tobacco cost the NHS UKP1.6bn each annually, illegal
drugs cost the NHS UKP0.8bn.

Drugs will not go away and if they cannot be eradicated the principal
object of public policy has to be reducing as far as possible the
harm they can do.

Despite his criticisms about the drugs law, Mr Brunstrom promises "as
a police officer I will continue to enforce it to the best of my
ability, despite my misgivings about its moral and practical worth."