Dame Judi Dench and Sir Richard Branson join three former chief constables today in a call for the possession of all drugs to be decriminalised.
They are among the signatories of a letter to the Prime Minister urging the Government to review the effectiveness of the law tackling drug abuse.
It says those found in possession of illegal substances should be dealt with outside the criminal justice system, with drug users fined and those with an addiction referred to a treatment centre. Crucially, possession would no longer result in a criminal record, as happened to 80,000 people last year.
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act and today’s letter, organised by the charity Release, begins a campaign for reform.
“It is clear that the present system of applying the criminal law to the personal use and possession of drugs has failed. Conversely, the harm caused by pursuing this approach has been significant,” the letter says. “Criminalising people who use drugs leads to greater social exclusion, making it more difficult for them to gain employment and to play a productive role in society.”
The signatories also include Julie Christie and Sting; the former chief constables who signed are Tom Lloyd of Cambridgeshire, Paul Whitehouse of Sussex and Francis Wilkinson of Gwent.
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