En matière de législation sur les drogues, la Grande-Bretagne est un perdant mondial

Malgré l'inertie actuelle, compte tenu des développements outre-Atlantique et en Europe, les discussions sur la réforme des politiques des drogues en Grande-Bretagne ne sont pas une question de "si", mais de "quand" et de "comment". Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

By Kojo Koram / Novara Media

A key element of Britain’s self-identity is that we are a nation of innovation. As far back as the early 17th century, the philosopher and poet John Milton declared: “Let not England forget her precedence of teaching nations how to live”. Since then, the image of Britain as a world leader – always at the cutting-edge of history, always providing the legal, economic and cultural templates for others to follow – has become a sacred national truism, repeatedly reiterated by politicians from Tony Blair to Theresa May.

But when one considers Britain’s regressive drug policy, this self-assessment couldn’t be further from the truth – a fact that Germany’s recent announcement about its new drug policy reforms has made even clearer.

Last week, Germany’s incoming government – a coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and the centre-right Free Democrat party – confirmed it plans to legalise the sale of recreational cannabis. With this decision, Germany is following the likes of Uruguay, Canada, Mexico, South Africa and a plethora of states in the US, which have made similar reforms since 2012.