23/02/05 - Conservative Action On Drugs

These shocking pictures are of the same women, taken over a ten year period each time she was arrested for drug fuelled crime. She was a heroin addict, with the effects extremely visable.

CONSERVATIVE ACTION ON DRUGS

Drug crime is rising. Drug-related offences have increased by almost a quarter since 2001-2 (Home Office, Crime in England and Wales 2003-4, July 2004, table 2.04).

A quarter of people say that drug-dealing is a very or fairly big problem in their communities (ibid., table 2e).

Burglars main motivation in robbing peoples homes is the need to fund drug use (Home Office, Decision-making by House burglars: Offenders Perspectives, 1 November 2004).

Labour have sent mixed out messages on drugs. The Government has downgraded the classification of cannabis from Class B to Class C, whilst trying to sound tough on drugs.

Lib Dems have consistently opposed the principle of mandatory sentencing (Liberal Democrats, Policy Paper 51, Justice and the Community, June 2002, p.42).

Liberal Democrats national policy calls for ending the use of imprisonment for possession for own use of illegal drugs of any class (Policy Motion passed at Liberal Democrat Spring Conference, Manchester, March 2002).

They would also reclassify ecstasy from Class A to Class B and weaken the liability of licensees when drug dealing takes place on their premises (ibid.). This would mean shorter sentences for drug dealers and fuel the use of drugs in clubs and pubs.

Reverse the reclassification of cannabis, so that youngsters get a clear consistent message on drugs they are wrong.

Fund 25,000 residential places for hard drug users, providing intensive treatment to get them off drugs.

Introduce a mandatory minimum seven-year sentence for anyone convicted for third time of dealing in hard drugs. They will serve these sentences in full seven years will mean seven years.