i was annoyed to hear of the british government’s back tracking on its momentarily (relatively) enlightened progress towards declassifying recreational soft drugs.

Imagine you are seated at a table with two bowls in front of you. One contains peanuts, the other tablets of the illegal recreational drug MDMA (ecstasy). A stranger joins you, and you have to decide whether to give them a peanut or a pill. Which is safest?

britain has ignored a recent scientific recommendation to move ecstasy from a class a drug (alongside heroin and crack!) to class b which follows gordon’s reversal on cannabis (which went back to class b from class c where tony had rightfully put it).

there’s been plenty of media reaction (new scientist, independent, spectator, and the bbc) overwhelmingly on the side of science and for declassification.

laurie taylor hosts angus bancroft and dick hobbs on the excellent thinking allowed bbc podcast to discuss the science and intractable politics of drug regulation. they bring up howard becker‘s approach which likens the appreciation of cannabis to that of fine oysters.

it’s sad that the anti drug propaganda campaigns successfully perpetuate unhelpful and ineffective drug policies. drugs are alright people!

the answer to the question above of course is not peanuts!

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