Mike Trace - does the criminalization of drug users work?

Mike Trace is currently the Co-Director of the Beckley Foundation Drug Policy Programme and Chief Executive at RAPT (Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust), one of the UK's foremost providers of drug addiction treatment.

Since leaving a secondment to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in January 2003, Mike Trace has been working as an independent consultant. From June 2001 to November 2002, he was the Director of Performance at the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, a special health authority charged with overseeing the expansion and improvement of the substance abuse treatment sector in England.

From November 1997 to June 2001, he was the Deputy UK Anti-Drug Co-ordinator. This role involved giving advice to UK government ministers on all aspects of drug policy, the creation of the 10 year strategy, Tackling Drugs To Build A Better Britain, and overseeing itÕs implementation. Previous to this, Mike worked in and managed projects tackling drug-related offending for many years. From 1987 to 1995 he was Head of the Criminal Justice Service at The Cranstoun Projects, one of the largest independent sector providers of drug services. In 1986 he worked for the California Youth Authority on rehabilitation for drug-using offenders in the USA. Mike was a member of the Criminal Justice Working Group of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) from 1992 to 1995 and was a full member of ACMD since 1996. From 1995 to 1997, he was Chief Executive of the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPT) and Chair of the Criminal Justice Forum of the Standing Conference on Drug Abuse.

Mike has chaired United Nations technical committees on the drugs issue and was for 2 years Chairman of the Lisbon based, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction where he was responsible for overseeing the collection and analysis of objective, reliable information concerning drugs and drug addiction at a European level.

Mike was interviewed at the International Harm Reduction Conference in Warsaw, 2007.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• HCLU
• drug
• use
• criminalization
• Beckley
• IDPC

[catc22h]

It seems you associate all crime with drug-use, but at the same time you acknowledge that such crime is likely to be of an aquisitive nature. To blame one social problem, significant though it may be, for the ills of society as a whole is neither accurate nor helpful.

[catc22h]

You're contradicting yourself, In an earlier post you stated that: 'REAL efforts need to be made in to (sic) keeping more drugs off the streets'

Now you state that you have 'no problem with wealthy drug users'

You should really think about things before you commit it to scrutiny.

Come back to me when you feel you are capable of a reasoned argument.

[capnbic]

start cleening then

[MrPragmatism]

We will never rid our society of drugs...drugs have been part of societies all over the world since man.

Demand will always be there so its up to use wether we allow the criminals to control the Supply!Imo govt should control and regulate all drugs.Biggest problem we have is our children and the easy access they have to criminal dealers who care more about the buck than age.Idont care if adults use it,its their life and as long as they dont resort to criminal activity to fund their habit!

[bubazuc]

wow......we need to get drugs off the street...

[ukrider13]

The fact remains, that it IS the jobless addicts, who steal from their hardworking - but equally un-glamorous law abiding neighbours. The stereotypes was there for your benefit, not mine.

People from all walks of life can become addicts. The majority all end up in the same place... jobless, penniless theives. Stereotype? No, reality.

Rehabilitation? Give me a break. How to turn a tax sapping, burden into a national asset? 2 easy steps... Compulsory detox and hard labour camps!

[catc22h]

Where exactly do you think drugs come from? Bottom line is the vast majority of drugs sold throughout the western world fund everything from organised crime to terrorism. Your glamorous rockstar image is in reality no different from the homeless addict , or from someone who steals to fund their habit. I work in the field of addiction and have seen enough to know that the stereotypes you are so comfortable with are a fallacy. If the answers were so easy to find i'd be out of a job.

[ukrider13]

Where's the contradiction? Wealthy users don't buy from the streets, nor do they contribute to drug related crime at "street level"

I've never been the victim of a wealthy rock star's drug habit, nor have I ever seen one hang around on corners, waiting for a fix. Have you?

We need to get drugs off the streets, and a change in our mindset, is what is required.

We need to clean up our streets!

[ukrider13]

Wrong. I say treat ALL thieves equally, and to do so IS helpful, at least for us law abiding citizens who work hard to acquire our possessions.

As I said, I have no problem with wealthy drug users.

[ukrider13]

If someone wants to take hard drugs and they can afford to do it, what do I care? It's their life, their money and their business, not mine. But when they cross that line of criminality and steal from me, they make it my business, and IMHO we as a nation are FAR too soft on crime. That's why we've become a lawless society. 99% of junkies are theiving scumbags who steal from hard working tax payers like myself. Their choice, not mine.