Gino Kenny urges decriminalisation to curb organised crime

The Prime Minister, organised crime is an insidious reality and those that participate in that insidious reality are some of the most unscrupulous people that will use particularly grotesque violence and intimidation to meet their ends. They are highly organised, highly motivated and highly adaptable by the vast profits of the black economy, the alternative economy and obviously when there is inequality and poverty a factor some people will go down that route of the alternative economy and that is no excuse. Lots of people, many, many people that come from working class areas never go down the road of organised crime. This is a very, very small amount of people that come from working class communities and other communities that will participate in this activity. One of the main drivers of organised crime is the supply and distribution of drugs. In fact, I think it is the key driver in relation to organised crime. Once you have a situation where the controlled drugs of the state are controlled by organised crime, I think we have a problem. Because ultimately the controlled drugs that we are talking about, where people do use, are controlled by the black market and it is highly profitable and it is hugely insidious in areas of our life. And the proliferation of all drugs over the last five decades has exponentially increased, the same as our kind of prison population. So what does that say about, you know, the laws of the land? Because you have to go back to the Misuse of Drugs Act in 1977, it reflected what happened in Britain a number of years before, to make a deterrent for anybody to supply drugs or to use drugs. Now, anybody that can tell me in this chamber that that has the desired effect, well, they would be fooling actually by anybody in here. It hasn't done that. It hasn't done that at all. In fact, it has enriched a tiny, tiny amount of people in our society and getting extremely rich, extremely rich. So, I think there is a narrative that I would debate and argue that we need to look at something very, very different from what we have at the moment. And that kind of difference and alternative, I think, is about taking back control. Stop criminalising people for using drugs. People will use drugs for all sorts of reasons. But as I said, the black market largely controls drugs. It is highly profitable and we need to take control back. And that control, Minister, has many kind of strands to it. And we are obviously having a debate about decolonisation in the citizens' assembly. And that is a very, very good debate, a very, very important debate. And hopefully, the citizens' assembly will make recommendations to look at different approaches to the status quo. Because the status quo doesn't work. If it worked, then people wouldn't be using drugs. I mean, the vast majority of people that are in Norwich prisons are there for drug-related crime. So, it doesn't work. It doesn't work. And we need to do something different. And that radical difference, I don't think most people will agree with me when I say this, and I say this very, very genuinely. I think we have to do something very different. Radical. Radically different than the paradigm of prohibition. And that is about decriminalising the person. If people want to use drugs, people will use drugs whether they are legal or not. We have to stop criminalising people if they want to use drugs. There is also a fact that people will use drugs and enjoy drugs. And drugs have been around for millennia. People will, you know, want to alter their mind. You know, if they want to do that, why criminalise them and why bring them through the criminal justice system? It simply hasn't worked. And we have to look at alternatives, radical alternatives, in relation to regulation and legalisation of certain drugs. I think there is even a debate to be had about regulation of all drugs. All drugs. It is quite a nuanced debate. There are many reasons why people turn to drugs. People will, there are a lot of people that will never abuse drugs. Never abuse drugs. Will use them, but never abuse them. And I think moralising people for the use of drugs, Minister, and you have said that. And I am surprised you said that. Very surprised. I don't think, you know, it doesn't sit well. And I think moralising people for using drugs, saying that they are going to be kind of, they are part of, I suppose, you know, the part of the kind of, the criminal kind of circle in relation to, you know, they are kind of, by using drugs, they are kind of somehow endorsing the black market and the kind of criminality. I just don't think that washes. I just don't think people think, when they are using drugs, are thinking of that. They are not thinking of that. You know, they are thinking about other issues about, you know, whether this is actually going to have an effect on them. So, again, it is a complex issue, but I think we are going to have to have a look at different models than we have at the moment. And that model, I believe, doesn't work. Criminalising people doesn't work. It only enriches a certain amount of people in society. And that radical approach is decriminalisation and looking at the wider debate around, you know, regulation. You look across the world, Minister, police, you cannot police your way out of the drug industry, the drug kind of world. It is just impossible. It is absolutely impossible. And people, as I said, people will use drugs for all sorts of reasons. And that's a reality. It's a brutal reality. It could be extremely ugly. Look, I have seen what drugs have done to people very close to me. And it's absolutely horrible, absolutely horrible what drugs can do, right? But, you know, from my life experience, I believe we need to do something different. Criminalising people doesn't work. It only enriches a tiny amount of people in our society. And we need to do something very different. And hopefully the citizens assembly will come back with a different model than we have at the moment. . . . .