GB: The report of the RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs
Drug use continues to rise - but is all drug use necessarily abuse?
The RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy was set up to take a fresh look at these questions and to try to untangle the complex knot of issues commonly referred to as ’the drugs problem.’
The results of its enquiries are set out in its recent report
Drugs - facing facts- Final report:
http://www.thersa.org/acrobat/rsa_drugs_report.pdf
- www.rsadrugscommission.org.uk
Drugs - the cost
The Home Office has estimated the economic cost of Class A drug use to the country as around £3.5 billion, and the social costs at between £10 and 17 billion. Current expenditure aimed at cutting these costs is £1.3 billion - but is it being spent in the most effective way?
The worldwide drugs ‘business’
The largest market is for cannabis herb (with a retail market size in 2003 of $113 billion)
and cannabis resin ($29 billion
The document continues, ‘While UNODC is reasonably confident with its estimations on opiates, cocaine and the ATS [amphetamine type stimulants], the degree of certainty is far lower for cannabis, notably for cannabis herb, as information for production and consumption of this substance is highly contradictory. If better information becomes available, a major revision cannot be ruled out.’ 20 UNODC, World Drug Report 2006.
Is drugs policy working? If not, why not?
