I believe in drug law reform because the harm caused by a low-level drug conviction is disproportionate to the harm arising from drug use. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 is over 40 years old and is failing to address rates of drug use. De-criminalisation of possession/use offences would effectively halve the number of drug offences recorded. It would also enable health and law enforcement interventions to be underpinned by harm minimisation principles allowing drug misuse/addiction to be viewed as a health issue rather than a justice issue which at present the current Act does not allow.
Additionally, harm from drug use is often conflated with harm from prohibition which can be misleading. It is prohibition which enables a criminal black market for a substance to be established. Any crime associated with that criminal black market, the impact of criminal conviction along with any cost to enforce prohibitive laws are costs which should be attributed to prohibition as opposed to drug use. It is clear prohibition has failed. It is time for a new approach.