Celebrities, entrepreneurs and politicians have called on the government to end the so-called war on drugs and urgently review the UK’s laws.
The open letter published in the Times included Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, musician Sting and comedian Russell Brand among nearly 20 signatories pushing for change.
The letter claims that the £3bn spent on drug policy “does little to address the root causes of addiction and pointlessly criminalises people”.
The initiative, led by Green MP Caroline Lucas, has attracted cross-party backing from Labour MP Keith Vaz, Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith and Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert.
The letter comes as politicians debate a home affairs select committee report that warns that government action is needed “now, more than ever” to consider all the alternatives for drug policy.
– Read the entire article at The Guardian.
