Happy Mothering Sunday to those observing! I imagine many of my readers spent last night consuming drugs (drinking alcohol) and are probably consuming drugs while reading this (drinking coffee). Why do I bring this up? Well, as many of you will know that I am – in addition to other things – Director of Strategy at the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group (CDPRG) where we make the case for reforming our current drug laws and adopting an evidence based approach which protects young people, takes power away from criminal gangs, reduces harm, and allows people to access treatment.
It’s this last point I want to focus on. You may have missed it due to it being Budget Week (full expensing, lovely stuff), but on Tuesday night Crispin Blunt MP led an adjournment debate in Parliament where he made the case for the rescheduling of psychedelics such as psilocybin (magic mushrooms) in order to treat people suffering from conditions such as depression.
I wrote an article for Conservative Home alongside Crispin which you can read by clicking the link below.
I have seen first hand just how damaging our current drug laws are and the misery they cause to families who have lost loved ones, communities like the one I grew up in being blighted by crime and addiction, and people being treated as criminals for trying to access a treatment which helps relieve their suffering. I’ve also been sickened by the hypocrisy of politicians who have taken drugs but face no consequences whereas if they had been an ethnic minority or from a working class background then they would have had their lives ruined by a criminal record.
It’s something I feel very strongly about and so is why the work of the CDPRG is so important.
Thanks as ever for reading. I’ll likely write a post or two on something this week which should be hitting your inbox at some point. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!