Guardian: Britain's £5.9bn a year drug habit

[sweetheart]

· Government policy failing to stop use as prices fall
· EU survey finds seizures not preventing boom

Alan Travis in Brussels
Friday November 24, 2006
The Guardian

The UK has 327,466 hardcore "problem drug users" who are regularly using either heroin, crack or cocaine, research revealed yesterday. The figure is far higher than a previous estimate of 270,000.

Britons are also spending a total of £5.9bn a year on illegal drugs, about two-fifths of the amount spent on alcohol and a third of the size of the legal tobacco market, according to Home Office estimates.

The figures are a sign that the government's policy of concentrating on reducing the harm caused by the most serious drug abusers has yet to make headway.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,,1955839,00.html

[Nozebro]

1. No. It's a sign that the War on Drugs has only deleterious effects on the

entire population and such an immoral abuse of people's natural rights should be ended immediately, if not sooner. The special interests that benefit from criminalizing drugs that can't be patented, yet have none of the terrible side effects of legal drugs, is the ONLY reason why this on-going travesty continues.

[sweetheart]

2. i'm suprised the guardian printed that press release without...

...laughing. The fact that they printed it without pondering what mr. creedy was saying,
leaves them in them with their prothero problem. *(bad 'v' references)

[1932]

3. What's the trend?

Was the 270k a previous estimate of current numbers or are these both estimates but from different years?

[lovuian]

4. The Opiates (Spice) must flow

its all money tax free in the Bush Cartel

Thats why Afghanistans poppy fields had to be protected

and why Osama works for Bush

it all makes sense and they know where the source of drugs are coming
from Afghanistan where our troops and money flow

"He who controls the Spice controls the Universe"

[Barrett808]

5. "I see plans within plans."

"You are transparent to me."

[Psephos]

6. Spend $400 billion on a war to protect $5 billion worth of drugs?

Doesn't make economic sense to me. Much easier ways to abscond with money if that's the goal.

BTW, great book here on the role of spices and drugs during mercantilist days:

Tastes of Paradise: A Social History of Spices, Stimulants, and Intoxicants
by Wolfgang Schivelbusch

http://www.amazon.com/Tastes-Paradise-History-Stimulants-Intoxicants/dp/067974438X/sr=8-3/qid=1164430985/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/002-2720660-8775239?ie=UTF8&s=books

Peace.

[sweetheart]

7. Here's a video of the CIA saying more than that

It appears that afganistan and these 'drugs' insurgencies like columbia are
set up structurally by the CIA to make places ungovernable as a climate for
their unilateral actions against non-white nations, and resource rich nations
with low weapons technology. At 4:22 in this video: 'the golden crescent'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x6289