Since I am in a more reasonable frame of mind, I'll post a piece from 2002:
This was from Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom, speaking at a conference in Wales on how we deal with drugs and calling for a different approach:
Quote:
Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom was speaking before today's landmark conference at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, in which he will again call for a major review of the drugs laws.
He said: "Methadone is as addictive as heroin and is clearly more dangerous. Head for head, more people die from methadone abuse than heroin abuse.
"It is not popular with users because it is not as much fun to take it and medically it is no better than heroin, so how on earth did we get into a situation where we are happy to give people methadone when it doesn't work very well and it certainly doesn't cure them, and we have created another black market in second-hand methadone."
[snip]
"The two most dangerous substances which are misused are tobacco and alcohol and they are freely available," he said. "They kill many more people than all the other illegal drugs. More than 50pc of all people dying from drugs die from tobacco, just under 50pc die from alcohol. Five or six per cent die form all the other drugs put together.
"Our drugs laws are illogical, they are unethical, they are counterproductive because they make the situation worse and they are untenable.
"I am arguing for a complete review of our drugs laws to put them on some rational basis. Why are some drugs legal and other drugs illegal?
"How on earth did we get into a situation where tobacco is freely available, although lightly controlled, and ecstasy is completely and utterly illegal? If you look at the death rate there is no comparison. It is difficult if not impossible to sustain an argument that heroin is more dangerous than cannabis or that cannabis more dangerous than tobacco."
If addicts are treated properly then Mr Brunstrom is convinced crime will drop as the need to fuel their habits through expensive drug dealers disappears.
"Heroin is not an inherently dangerous substance in its pure form. The real impact heroin has on society - unlike tobacco, which is killing many people, heroin doesn't kill hundreds and thousands of people each year - is it causes you to have to steal to feed your habit and that has an enormous impact on society which is not currently catered for."
But Mr Brunstrom does not believe there should be stricter controls imposed on alcohol or tobacco. Nor does he believe penalising drug addicts is the right way to solve the drugs issue.
"I am not persuaded that making drugs and alcohol illegal and penalising people through the criminal law is ever going to be successful and whether it is right in principle," said Mr Brunstrom.
"If you wish to abuse your body to the extent that you make yourself ill and kill yourself, I am not sure that society ought to deal with you as a criminal. We might want to say that you are a victim or a patient, we might say that you don't seem very capable of looking after yourself, but do we really want to put you in prison?"
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I'd say that articulates my opinion somewhat.
I don't think heroin is 'safe'. I don;t think opiates are 'safe. But I also don't believe the current laws are in any way effective in stopping people using heroin. They simply make the social and personal cost of doing so much, much higher.