Drugs, Society and Human Rights

This briefing summarises the crime-related costs stemming from the war on drugs. The battle cry to fight a “war against drugs” has had such political potency that its negative costs have undergone little proper scrutiny.

Evaluation of drug law enforcement still invariably focuses on process measures, like arrests and drug seizures, rather than meaningful indicators that might demonstrate failure – such as levels of availability, or health and social costs, including the creation of crime.

The 'press' use of crime is part of policing and the entertainment industry now and must be regulated... It is their game; they trade on it.

It is a form of moral recycling. Crime talk is normally aimed at profit, not truth.

The media dig up the dirt, launder it free of social, political and cultural implications, and re-present it as the triumph of good over evil and the permanent futility of dissent 

Julian Buchanan's claim to fame  - I'm cited in 'Chavs' by Owen Jones!

'Chavs singles out for opprobrium middle-class contempt towards working-class people, those regarded by rightwing commentators such as Simon Heffer as the "feral underclass".  Book review:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/08/chavs-demonization-owen-jones-review

The Book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chavs-Demonization-Working-Owen-Jones/dp/184467696X

Journalist Karen McColl interviews Wendell Potter, US health industry lobbying guru turned critic. Mark Ashbridge, an associate professor at Dalhousie University, explains how cannabis intoxication is an increasingly important factor in motor vehicle collisions.

Findings suggest that distressing imagery may inhibit persuasion by reducing audience attention to message components. Implications for message design are discussed.

Considerable attention is given to addressing the physical and psychological aspects of drug dependence - some even go as far as seeing arguing it's a disease called 'addiction'. This lecture asserts that the social context is much over looked, and Problem Drug Use is to some extent a social construct.

This briefing summarises the environmental costs of the war on drugs, and demonstrates that if these costs are to be minimised or avoided, alternative forms of drug control must be considered

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This briefing summarises these human rights costs. There is naturally overlap with other areas of the Count the Costs project, including: security and development, discrimination and stigma, public health, crime, the environment, and economics. For briefings and a more extensive collection of resources on these costs see http://www.countthecosts.org

Sentencing guidelines that come into force on 27th Feb 2012.

The guidelines are based on the category of offence, the role of the offender, and on aggravating or mitigating factors. Trafficking offences include Import, Supply, Possession with Intent and Production. All carry similar penalties although there are some minor differences.

Utah Health Official Argues for Ban on Electronic Cigarettes Because they Contain Toxins and Carcinogens, - but they are less harmful than conventional ciggarettes

Add up the drinks you had down the pub last night and tells you what they've done to your body - and your wallet! Quick, fun and simple to use!