Wednesday 16 November 2011

Croakcaine

Provided as part of a column piece for my trainee journalism course (this bonus addition contains features unseen in the original):

           Public discourse over the use of cocaine hit a peak this week, as reports suggested that the UK’s crave for the class A may soon die down. Consumption has peaked as purity drops close to 30% and prices bump up just shy of £70 per gram. Alongside these figures, a plummet in the use of tobacco and cannabis amongst schoolchildren has made reliable evidence to support Britain’s fight against narcotics. 

            This type of bean counting may assuage concerns that we have become a society lost to intoxicants but there has been little worthwhile discussion recently regarding current UK drug policy. MPs continue to bicker over whether legalisation provides a valid alternative as has been seen in Portugal and certain parts of the U.S. Conservative party members in particular remain determined to oppose any type of move toward a free market approach– when quizzed recently by the Daily Mail over whether backbenchers would support more leniency,
Charles Walker MP made the erudite evaluation that: “drugs kill people, so they should not be legal.” 

Charles Walker - Buzzin'
         In turn, dealers attempting to circumvent classification laws are now reportedly resorting to selling unmarked powders on the street known as “bubble” which invite users to take even more risks than ever before.

            As the Home Secretary faces fresh criticism for allegedly manipulating drug-seizure figures, perhaps now is the time to reconsider our outlook on the culture as a whole. If politicians remain stubborn towards de-criminalization, it might only unleash a far more subversive menace.