If you haven’t read our introductory page, please CLICK HERE
Thank you for clicking on the link to this page. Chances are, if you are visiting this site, you probably already support the ideas behind our campaign.
We aren’t soliciting donations, there are already plenty of excellent campaigning organisations who would welcome your donation. We do not wish to compete with them for funds. We do not want your money, but we welcome your support.
We are trying to raise awareness around drugs decriminalisation by using the same language of war, that people in power have been using for the last 50 years. We are seeking a ceasefire in the war on drugs. We want to decriminalise people.
Ceasefires are usually agreed by both sides of a conflict, but in this case, the war is very asymmetric, with one side yielding 100% of the power in this dynamic. That will not deter us from pursuing our goal of a lasting peace.
Why a ceasefire? The war on drugs has dragged on for over 50 years, with no resolution in sight. There are many competing ideas on how best to address the issue, but how can an honest discuss of the subject be possible, when one side of the conversation is criminalised unnecessarily?
Our current drug laws are not fit for purpose, and they never have been. Most drug policy is driven by moral panic, rather than actual scientific evidence. There is one thing most people can agree upon, our current drug laws do not deter drug use, but they do make taking drugs less safe.
It’s estimated that 95% of all drug use is non-problematic. That means for most drug users, the dangers come not from the drugs, but from our laws. Take the law out of the equation, and you will have significantly reduced the risk, and harm of all drugs with this one small change.
We advocate the end of arrests for simple possession of all drugs. That’s it. That’s our idea. We wish to decriminalise people.
If the only possible charge is drug possession, let them walk. Confiscating their drugs is more than punishment enough. If there are no other possible charges, set them free. We like to think of this as polite, and courteous civil disobedience.
It doesn’t matter where you are in the law enforcement chain, in the police service, or court system, if it is within your discretion, then you should exercise that discretion, and give everyone a break. This idea only applies to non-violent drug offences involving personal possession. It really is just a small, simple idea, but it will have a huge, positive effect.
Once the threat of arrest is removed, imagine how honest we can all be regarding the subject. Once we achieve a ceasefire, we can look at genuine long term solutions.
This idea costs nothing, and actually saves money, on policing, courts, and prisons. There would be immediate, positive gains for society once a ceasefire is in place.
In our view, the biggest issue preventing drug law reform, is just getting it started. There are so many good new ideas to consider, but reform efforts often stall. An informal ceasefire can be implemented today, right now, at a local level, incident by incident, without delay. All it requires is the will. And it can start with you.
We have described our campaign as community led, from the bottom up, and that is our plan. We are hoping to make this concept go viral at the grassroots level. The more noise we all make, the more chance our voices will be heard.
That’s how you can support us, by helping spread our message far, and wide. We welcome any, and all support, from individuals, as well as other groups.
Follow us on Twitter, you can find us at @ceasefire4good. Like, and share our tweets, our graphics, and the posts on our website. And please use our hashtag, #ceasefire4good. We will only be using Twitter, and we are relying on all of you to share our content on other social networks, so please repost to your favourite sites.
We will have more details for you in the days, and weeks ahead. Please keep an eye out for updates. And again, thank you for your time, and your support. Together, we can do anything!
Doug – 17/3/2021
The Ceasefire Initiative