TODAY MARKS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MISUSE OF DRUGS ACT
Transform, working with Release, DrugScience, LEAPUK and other partners, will focus on expanding the coalition of individuals and organisations who are prepared to stand up and say ‘enough is enough’.
28 May 2021Our first target was to encourage 50 MPs to sign our statement for reform. We are delighted that we have more than achieved that goal, and the number is increasing daily. Transform, working with Release, DrugScience, LEAPUK and other partners, will focus on expanding the coalition of individuals and organisations who are prepared to stand up and say ‘enough is enough’.
The failure of the Misuse of Drugs Act is clear in new analysis of data that we released this week.
- It has not reduced use: in 1971, there were fewer than 10,000 heroin users; now there are over a quarter of a million.
- It has not reduced harm: drug-related deaths are 30 times higher than in 1971, and currently three times the European average.
- It has not made communities safer: every story reporting a crackdown on county lines should serve as a reminder that in 1971 few children were involved in illegal drug supply, whereas now many thousands are drawn into networks of violence and exploitation every year.
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