Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform Comment on the Labour Manifesto
28/11/2019
Throughout 2019, the Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform has been hosting public meetings across the country, asking communities about the impact of drug laws they are seeing in their local area and how they would like Labour’s drug policies to be reformed. We’ve been to Bristol, Glasgow, Gorseinon, Grimsby, Liverpool, Newcastle, Wolverhampton and York and the response has been staggering. We have seen packed rooms filled with people from all different sections of society, coming together to call for real change to how we approach drugs.
The Labour frontbench are listening. Last week saw the release of Labour’s most progressive manifesto to date, with the party promising that it will:
Address drug-related deaths as matters of public health, treated accordingly in expanded addiction support services.
Establish a Royal Commission to develop a public health approach to substance misuse, focusing on harm reduction rather than criminalisation.
Progress clinically appropriate prescription of medical cannabis.
Lola Brittain, the LCDPR Yorkshire Ambassador said:
“The campaign is a perfect example of grassroots politics in action. We have been up and down the country speaking to different communities about the impact of drug policy and their aspirations for change. The response has been brilliant. Since the campaign was launched in 2018, momentum for reform within the party has grown massively. As an ambassador, I’m proud of the contribution that the campaign has made and I encourage others to get involved and end this social injustice.”
Sharon Hodgson, Shadow Minister for Public Health and Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Washington and Sunderland West echoed the need for this alternative approach stating:
“Everywhere in the country, there are people suffering with a drug addiction; England and Wales have the highest drug-related death rate on record. We need real change to the way we view drugs so that people can get the help and support they need.
“That is why Labour will address drug-related deaths as a matter of public health treated accordingly in expanded addiction-support services.”
Our Co-Founder, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Bristol West Thangam Debbonaire, lauded the party for progressing on this issue, stating:
‘I am really pleased to see that the Labour manifesto has confirmed we will shift our approach to drug use from criminalisation to a health-based response. Obviously we need to work fast if we are to help people who are struggling with their own or the impact of other people’s addiction and we look forward to working constructively with the new Labour government on bringing evidence into practical policy making.’
The Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform is a growing grassroots campaign. Our impact and momentum is reliant on the Labour members and supporters who join our campaign for real change. Unprecedented progress has been made in the party and we must now continue our work to build a progressive drug policy that serves the country, particularly the sections of the public it has so badly failed over the past half century.
The campaign will be holding more public meetings in 2020, with further details to be announced in the new year. To find out how you can make a difference, please visit the ‘get involved’ section of the Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform website https://www.labourdrugpolicy.com/get-inolved
To read the full manifesto please follow this link.