Mr Tony - it's goodbye from him.

Well almost goodbye anyway. I can't resist a comment on our PM as he reaches the gradual end of his career and waves ta-ta to the Labour Party conference. After all it's his government that has been the architect of the most recent 10 year drugs strategy.

Did drugs policy turn to dust in our mouths after New Labour's win in '97. Yes and no. Yes because of the continued and wasteful emphasis on law'n'order as an answer to drug use/dealing/importation etc. We now have more people in prison than ever before, many of them on drug-related offences. We have a miltary presence in Afghanistan at huge cost, without support of NATO (thanks partners) and are impotently overseeing the best Afghan opium harvest in God knows how long. Our Navy operates all around the world on drug interdiction work, notably in the Carribean, but the price of cocaine and crack just keeps on dropping. Despite the government's best efforts new drugs have arrived with a bang and rapidly become established on the scene (crack/cocaine again).

But no, because there have been some good results. More people are in treatment than ever before and are being seen quicker and more effectively. We know a lot more about the importance of retaining people in treatment and, despite some worrying signs we have succeeded in keeping HIV infections amongst IDU's to a relatively low proportion of the injecting community. Contrast this to the US which is seeing near 3rd World rates of infection amongst injectors in some parts of the country.

So two cheers for Mr Tony and his drugs policy.

Am I sorry to see him go? Well there's always the chance he won't. Who knows what might happen between now and his intended gold watch and goodbye kiss time? One can imagine a major event - another 7/7 which forces him to stay on 'for the good of the country because collegaues have prevailed on him to stay'. Or whatever. But presuming he does go I'll miss some of his routines.

• He does seem a reasonably paid up member of the human race.
• It's been lovely to see 10 Downing St inhabited by a family and kids again.
• Great sense of humour.
• The minimum wage, devolution of Scotland and Wales and a peace of sorts in Northern Ireland - all good things.

And the rubbish? Iraq. Or rather the hiding of the truth. If he'd said at the beginning that we were going in to get rid of Saddam we might have gone along with it. But the dissembling and half truths about WMD and the slavish following of US policy blotted his copy-book for ever.

Why bother?

Lots of news reports here about a cannabis 'drought'. The dry patch seems to have been brought on by a series of co-odinated raids by police around the country targeting so-called 'pot farms'. These are indoor house-based growing areas (usually in a loft or basement) where pokey skunk is grown under lights. So some parts of the UK are reporting skunk as being difficult to get hold of.

Actually there's nothing new in indoor cultivation of puff, it's been going on for years. People usually get caught because their domestic consumption of electricity reaches industrial levels on account of the powerful lights needed to force growth. When I worked in Wales growers were much wilier. Those of you who know Wales will remember that much of it is covered in forest. So the growers would go off to a remote forest site and plant a patch of cannabis then go away again, returning occasionally to check on the crop. The only way the site could be spotted was from the air so it was a low risk/high return method of cultivation.

However, interdiction by the enforcement agencies (interdiction? Am I becoming an American?) meant that more growers were forced inside and to make best use of limited room began to turn to stronger, higher yield plants producing skunk. So now instead of smoking bright, breezy, crackly grass everyone gets off on the more powerful skunk. With consequent raised risks of mental health problems or an overwhelming desire to lie down. A lot.

This is what happens when there is a cannabis drought.

1. Some people will turn to whatever's available, i.e. class A's such as heroin or crack.
2. Much more sophiosticated and nastier dealers will step in to meet the demand created by shopping your local neighbourhood social grower/dealer.
3. Everyone gets drunk instead. Alcohol = more violence whereas the oh-be-joyful usually means sitting around stoned and happy.
4. People who self-medicate medical conditions such as MS suffer, especially if there is no medical, prescription cannabis available either.

Need I go on?

What you may ask is the alternative? Well one answer could be manageed dealing zones or coffee shops on the dutch lines. Never happen here though.

Of course there are risks associated with any drug and I'm certainly not advocating the use of this or any other drug - but come on. When will governements and the police do risk assessments on the consequences of their actions?

It's all completely bonkers

Don’t do drugs – just, just, DON’T!!

Because we say so.

Haven’t blogged for a while again – more bereavement and illness in the family I’m afraid, but I hope to get back to regular blogging soon.

While I’ve been away however things have been afoot.

Pre-pregnancy: Yes it is now possible for women to be classed as ‘pre-pregnant’ i.e. if they are fertile and menstruating then they have the potential to have a baby. Therefore, argue the pre-pregnancy advocates, women have a duty to abstain from drink and drugs at all times in case they get pregnant. Er, can we see some tiny flaws in this argument? Yes we can. A) Contraception, B) Some drugs reduce or prevent menstruation but eggs are still produced. So the user thinks they can’t get pregnant – but they can. What is it with mostly male politicians and opinion formers that they wish to control women’s bodies? Most women who become pregnant give up or radically moderate their drink and drug use all on their own.

Our ACMD has come out in favour of reducing the amount of alcohol young people can consume and drive. This seems quite sensible as most accidents happen to young people. But our transport minister, the wonderfully named Steven Ladyman hit the airwaves, said he hadn’t read the report but ‘would consider it carefully’ and promptly announced that change wouldn’t even be considered.

So it’s all still going on with good sense and thoughts disappearing under the usual waves of stupidity, thought/media control and a sheer inability to cope with the truth.

Still, it all gives me something to write about. Pip! Pip!