A government report this week found that there is no link between tough penalties and drug use. This has prompted calls from various politicians for a review of drugs laws. While it’s clearly a complex issue, it’s hard to argue with a rigorous report or with scientific research into addiction. Perhaps there is a case […]
Last week it was reported that a review of drink-driving laws in the UK has recommended a reduction in the allowed blood alcohol level for drivers. The government must now decide whether to act on the report. Over at Lords of the Blog, Baroness Deech asks for comments, suggesting that a balance has to be […]
Today it was proposed that smokers should have to buy an annual permit if they want to be able to buy cigarettes. The proposal, by government advisory board Health England, is that smokers would have to choose to “opt in” to buying tobacco by paying £10 a year for a permit. The permit would have […]
Today the BBC News Magazine has an article on the consequences for people who have been caught drink-driving, which is to be the theme of this year’s Christmas anti-drink drive advertising campaign. I left a comment via the form, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, they didn’t publish it. So I’ll repeat it here instead (expanded slightly, but […]
Today it has been widely reported in the media that the House of Commons public accounts committee have recommended that people who find themselves in trouble while on drunken stag weekends abroad should have to pay for consular assistance. The going rate is £84.50 per hour, but this charge is rarely applied. Charge stag-nighters for […]
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