Thanks for that. In Oxford when I was last on the city council we commissioned a report from a criminologist that porported to show that up to 80% of property crime was related to drugs. And that a similar proportion of the prison population locally was inside for crimes that could be related to drugs.

If drugs are inherently dangerous of course then we should say the same thing about caffeine, alcohol and the like. Indeed only the other day I noticed someone jailed for driving under the influence of Red Bull! But for me the decisive factor is that people who are suffering from an illness (addiction) are being killed because the law prevents them getting regular and safe access to a substance whose main danger is often the addiction itself rather than the substance itself.

And Dacre and co should try peddling their bile to the families of those affected by the laws they defend.

I agree it would be a brave politician to put their head over the parapet on this, but perhaps the manner and reason for the recent demise oof our former leader should steel us to that task in the Lib Dems at least!