British police are raising their voices against the drug war
He points out that policing incentivizes the recruitment of children into drugs gangs to act as a buffer between police and adult dealers, reducing dealers’ risks.
Very few communities anywhere in the world are untouched by the ravages of the drug war—and the millions of casualties include drug users whose health is threatened by unregulated supplies, victims of violent crime, and victims of the harsh enforcement and human rights abuses that are ostensibly meant to shut down illicit markets but obviously fail to do so. He argues, too, that while sizeable drug seizures make great fodder for police communications teams on social media, they do not actually make our streets any safer. The reverse, in fact, is often true: An arrest of a drug dealer at any level creates a power vacuum that sees violent crime increase “as the newly emerged business opportunity is fought over.” … Decriminalization and, ultimately, legal regulation would dramatically shrink the illicit market, the statement notes, “thereby reducing corruption, economic costs and health harms.”
Original Article (Filtermag):
British police are raising their voices against the drug war
Artwork Fair Use: Kevin B.
