Police should lead way with drug pardons – campaigner
POLICE should notice the way the cannabis conversation is moving and use discretion to pardon those who use it medicinally or in small quantities, the founder of a drug campaign has said.
The Guernsey Drug Strategy Campaign was supportive of Deputy Emilie McSwiggan’s successful sursis motion to direct Home Affairs to take a more precise and time-conscious look at its justice review report, which aims to reduce the focus on punishment in favour of rehabilitation, relax the tough line on drugs, cut the prison population, and put more resources into tackling white collar crime.
One of the directions means Health & Social Care and Home Affairs, informed by the results of the combined substance use strategy, have to report back with options for alternative and non-punitive approaches to the possession and use of small quantities of illegal drugs, no later than six months after that strategy has been considered by the States.
This includes, but is not limited to, cannabis.
Founder of the campaign, Lucia Pagliarone, was encouraged that a new timeframe had been set out, saying it was a positive step towards ending the harm around cannabis use.
‘However, during this time the harm will still exist and people who use cannabis responsibly will still be branded as criminals,’ she said.
Arguing that prohibition does not work, she said the world will soon realise with all substances that regulation is the right way to go and just because a minority cannot use cannabis responsibly does not mean that the majority that can should be prosecuted.
‘I would like to see Guernsey Police move in the direction that UK forces have and use discretion,’ she said.
‘While government cannot organise themselves politically on this, the police should use discretion to realise the way the issue is moving and bring an amnesty for the community in the meantime.’
She believed something has to be done soon because harm and punishment is still being done to those who use the drug, in her words, ‘properly’.
‘It is my belief that the majority that use cannabis actually use it medicinally, whether they realise it or not.’
Deputy Rob Prow raised some issues in Wednesday’s debate about cannabis and some of the side effects it can have, such as anxiety, paranoia, lung damage and psychosis, and said it can be a gateway to harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
Miss Pagliarone said no substance is entirely safe, but regulating the drug would reduce the black market activity that can be seen in Guernsey.
‘You do not know what Tom, Dick or Harry is bringing cannabis in now, or if it’s been sprayed with chemicals or had something else added to it.
‘Regulating it, like they did with alcohol, would be much safer.’
