Don’t play into the hands of evil dealers

IT IS not uncommon to walk through any number of Scotland’s town centres nowadays and catch the unpleasant smell of cannabis on the air.

From petty crime to fund habits to deadly turf wars between major dealers, the knockon effects of the use of illegal substances are pervasive and troubling.

This is the reality of drug addiction in Scotland today. It affects not only those in its grip – its impact is felt across society.

And so it is right that authorities continue to consider how best to tackle the scourge of drug addiction. When a strategy fails, then new approaches should be considered.

But the Mail is deeply concerned by the suggestion that the best way to tackle Scotland’s spiralling drug abuse problems is decriminalisation.

A report by MPs on Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee urges the UK Government to decriminalise drugs bought for personal use and to provide drug consumption facilities for the use of addicts.

Such a change to the law would mark an extraordinary surrender. Decriminalising deadly drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine would send entirely the wrong message to the dealers who get rich on the misery of others.

It is undoubtedly the case that handling cases involving illegal drugs is time consuming and complex for police but inconvenience is hardly a good reason to change the law.

Indeed, the law around drugs in this country is robust. The problem is, it is no longer properly enforced. Instead, soft touch justice means that many crimes around drugs often go unpunished.

Fines and warnings mean drug offenders are spared prosecution, which some critics say has already effectively decriminalised possession. Meanwhile, the average length of jail terms imposed for drug offences has fallen 14 per cent in the past five years, while deaths from illegal substances have rocketed to an all-time high.

This year, shocking new figures showed that Scotland now has the highest rate of drug deaths in the developed world. And as long as drug users are treated with kid gloves by the justice system, the number of deaths from drugs will simply continue to rise.

Redoubling efforts to tackle addiction must not go hand in hand with decriminalisation.

We make drink driving, speeding, and failure to wear a seat belt illegal because of the risk to life caused by these things. The same principle must apply to dangerous drugs, and more importantly, it must be enforced.