Youth activists hold a 40th birthday party for Misuse of Drugs Act calling for a more evidence-based approach.
At 12:00PM on Thursday the 2nd of June, a group of activists will gather outside the Home Office to call for evidence-based drugs policies to coincide with the release of a report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy. This week marks 40 years since the adoption of the Misuse of Drugs Act into UK legislation. The demonstrators will be holding a ‘birthday party’ to remember the impact this single piece of legislation continues to have on life in the United Kingdom.
Activists will sing Happy Birthday to the Misuse of Drugs Act before delivering a Birthday Card to the Home Office.
The event is a witty and comical way of mocking the government’s intransigence on this very serious issue. The group hopes that by highlighting forty years of failed drug policy, the Home Office may take the Commission’s report seriously.
The demonstration is being called by “Students for Sensible Drug Policy UK” – a network of students and young people campaigning for better drug policies. Students for Sensible Drug Policy first came to prominence when they campaigned against the sacking of Professor David Nutt from the drugs advisory council.
Levent Akbulut, a spokesperson for the organisation said; “In the last 40 years we have seen increased addiction, the expansion of organised crime and the complete inability of the government to control the flood of legal highs onto the market – it is clear our drug laws are not working. We call on the government to look very seriously at the findings of the Global Commission’s report and embrace evidence-based drug policy”.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy UK cordially invites all individuals concerned about British drug policy to attend the birthday party outside the Home Office at 12-2pm on Thursday the second of June. Come and show your support for evidence-based drug policy!
12PM, Thursday the 2nd of June, Home Office, Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF.
Nearest Tube stations are Westminster and St James Park.
Contact: Levent Akbulut
Tel: 020 7324 29873
Email: press@ssdp.org.uk
Web: www.ssdp.org.uk
