ALL debate is good. So, we welcome the calls today for an informed and adult discussion in this country around drugs.
We know the absurdly titled 'war on drugs' has failed miserably - criminalising ordinary men, women and children for recreational use of drugs like cannabis. We also know that Scotland sees itself as a progressive, intelligent country.
Put simply progressive, intelligent countries are not afraid to debate difficult issues. This is not about campaigning for decriminalisation of drugs. This is about a country talking about how best to deal with a very real drug problem in our midst and making an informed choice about how to proceed for the best of all our citizens.
The world, in this case, is leaving us behind. During the week, Ireland joined the growing list of countries moving towards decriminalisation, and next year, the issue is set to be high on the agenda as the UN meets to discuss global drug policy, with drug-ravaged countries such as Mexico struggling to cope with the resulting violence, corruption and deaths.
We can not stand on the sidelines and kick our heels. Just because drug laws are currently reserved to Westminster, that does not mean Scotland can not make its voice heard - and even get this much needed debate started across the UK.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
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