Drugs | The Nutty Professor vs The Govt.

So let’s consider the facts. Dude, aka Professor Nutt (yes the universe has a sense of irony), thinks that the government are not being as honest as they should be on drugs policy. In steps Alan Johnson the Home Secretary who sacks Nutty Professor (sorry couldn’t help it) for stepping over the line when he more or less stated that science should not be ignored when defining policy.  To be fair he did make some crass comparison between deaths from ecstasy compared to horse riding.

My Opinion

I think before I take this further I should state my claim. I am concerned about the legalisation of drugs like cocaine, heroin or marijuana. I am also concerned about the harm done by any kinds of drugs to people. However if it reduces criminality and the harm done to people then I am all for legalisation. I think if more harmful, and this is my opinion, drugs and tobacco are legal and taxable then there is no reason why the same shouldn’t be done for marijuana. This is purely on a harm prevention and non moral basis. The horse has already bolted so there is no point pretending like it will go away.

Intellect vs Emotion

The thing is this, as with any sensitive subject often emotion comes to the fore. As a trained Drug Prevention Educator I have seen first hand the effects both in schools and the community the affects of psychosis from drug use. I have read stories and heard first hand accounts of people who have vigorously opposed the use of drugs classed A to C. Families who have lost loved ones mentally or physically because of tainted or modified drugs such as skunk or ‘high grade’ to use the street vernacular.

In light of this however these deaths and injuries pale in comparison to the damage being done by the legal alcohol and tobacco use. The science suggests, depending on which research you buy into, that more harm is done through tobacco than marijuana and thus this should influence policy.

Now without delving deeply into this argument (for another post) if you do have research that can influence classification of a drug and thus reduce harm surely this should trump emotion. Unfortunately such is the nature of politics that this issue will be clouded. Given that the Nutty Professor (a gentle title for this blog, no offence intended) should come of his high horse and not think he has all the answers I do think he has a real point that we miss the bigger picture if it’s just about votes.