CSDP Blog

As the Drug War Chronicle reported in its June 5, 2009 edition ("Nice People Take Drugs, Says British Advocacy Group"), "In a bid to jump-start a campaign to move Britain toward more sensible drug policies, the drug reform advocacy group Release is posting advertisements saying 'Nice People Take Drugs' on the sides of passenger buses." Although the group seeks reform at the governmental level, it explains the campaign by stating that "Politicians are afraid to take on a subject that governments have totally failed to bring under control [...]. Breaking the taboo on drugs is the first step to reducing the harm they can cause. We must shift the perception that drug users are 'bad' and that all drug use is 'evil.'" They add that "Over one third of the adult population of England and Wales have used illegal drugs. By far the greatest risk to the majority of these people is criminalization and stigmatization." The bus campaign aims to break down the aforementioned taboos, stigmas, and misconceptions about drug use and drug users. According to the group, the advocacy effort "will advance that effort by beginning to counter the decades of propaganda that caricature and demonize drug users."

To find out more about Release's advocacy campaign, check out the Chronicle piece linked above as well as Release's web site for the campaign.