Drugs and the Party Line

The use of recreational drugs has become the subject of an unprecedented national debate over the past year. The outbreak of media hysteria following the death of Leah Betts and others has provoked leading politicians into declaring a war on drugs. Illegal drugs have been described as the new "enemy within" and drug-users equated with a "medieval plague". Any semblance of rational debate has been buried beneath the hysteria. The first casualty of any war is truth and for the war against drugs this has been no different. This volume aims to cut through the hysteria, hype and myths surrounding the use of recreational drugs in an accessible and informed way. Sticking to the facts, the book asks the questions that the politicians should really be addressing. This book not only answers these questions, but puts forward a full political manifesto for changing existing drug laws based on progressive drug-specific policies of harm reduction, de-criminalization of drug-users, plus controlled availability for some drugs. The target audience is the 16-35 age group: those people who are recreational drug users, and are interested in the politics and current affairs surrounding the subject.