Scottish Socialist Party General Election candidate for Glasgow Central, James Nesbitt, today spoke out against the banning of ‘legal high’ mephedrone, which came into effect today, Friday 16 April.

James, an unemployed 23 year old and resident of Govanhill, said: “Prohibition is a flawed approach. Experience has shown that criminalisation does not reduce harm. Leading scientists have spoken out against banning mephedrone, but they have been ignored by senior politicians.”

James pointed out: “Instead of listening to experts, the government has tried to browbeat them into propping up the failed criminalisation strategy. Policy is now being dictated by hysterical tabloid campaigns, rather than scientific evidence.”
“Banning m-cat will not reduce harm. Its production and distribution will now be in the hands of criminal gangs, who will benefit from the media-manufactured hype around the drug.”

Recommending a new approach, he comments: “A responsible strategy should begin with listening to the advice of drug experts: regulate recreational use so that safety is paramount. Focus should be placed on education, not criminalisation.”
“Professor David Nutt was sacked for speaking out against government posturing. A series of experts have also resigned over the rush to ban mephedrone, including Eric Carlin and Dr Polly Taylor. The government would do well to listen to the experts rather than be sucked in by hype and hysteria.”
“The war on drugs has failed. It is time for a new evidence-based approach designed to limit harm and take drug supply out of the hands of criminal gangs.”

The SSP is standing 10 candidates across Scotland and is unique in being the only party to speak out against drug criminalisation and in favour of a social health based approach to drug use.

The above  story was picked up by The Press and Journal (left) and The Metro today, while The Scotsman also featured comment from James. No sign of a hysterical campaign from The Record yet anyway…

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