A 30-second clip from parliament shows just how batsh*t the government is

A picture from a parliamentary debate on drugs


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A 30-second clip from a debate in parliament sums up the state of our government. Because the minister responsible for the policy being debated is not allowed to answer questions on it. No, really.

A failing policy?

SNP MP Ronnie Cowan had organised a debate into drug policy. He wrote a critical take on the government’s stance on drugs for PoliticsHome. He insisted:

We must acknowledge that problematic use is higher in areas of social deprivation… [and] accept the responsibility of trying to find solutions and acknowledge our failures.

We need to help people with problematic drug-use, with harm-reduction treatment and wrap-around support… [and] [h]ave a network of safe drug consumption rooms throughout the UK.

The emergency services should carry naloxone and be trained in its use.

And most importantly the UK’s drug policy should be a health issue not a criminal justice one…

We have lost the war on drugs. Our own drugs policy saw to that.

Read on...

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We need to change our mind set and we need to ensure we are in a position to win the peace.

Is it any wonder?

But during his debate, Cowan exposed just how batsh*t the government is on this. It took only 30 seconds:

Yes, that’s right. Victoria Atkins is parliamentary under-secretary of state for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability. One of her remits is drugs. But she can’t talk about cannabis or cannabis-related medicine. Because her husband makes money from it.

As The Canary previously reported:

her husband is the Managing Director of British Sugar Paul Kenward. The company is supplying GW Pharmaceuticals with up to 23 football pitches-worth of “non-psychoactive” cannabis for its drug Epidiolex. This is enough to treat up to 40,000 children a year.

If this wasn’t bad enough, Atkins’s potential conflict of interest directly impacts government business. Because as Cowan tweeted, he had to alter his debate because of her:

And Cowan wasn’t the only one Atkins left unimpressed:

But it was Release, the UK’s centre of expertise on drugs and drug law, which summed it up best:

Only under a Tory government could a minister not be able to discuss her own policy remit – all because of how her husband makes money. Moreover, only a Tory government could put her in that job in the first place.

Sorry – who voted these maniacs in?

Get Involved!

– For advice on drugs or drugs and the law contact Release on 020 7324 2989.

Featured image via Ronnie Cowan – Twitter

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