Another step forwards in drug debate
- By Richard Branson -
- Dec 10, 2012
Incredibly pleased to see the UK Home Affairs Committee publish its first report on drugs in a decade.
The Committee has made key recommendations regarding treatment and drugs in prison, as well as calling for the establishment of a Royal Commission to consider the best ways of tackling drugs policy.
As a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, I gave evidence to the inquiry and welcome this step forwards in the war on drugs.
Let us hope that the UK Government follows the lead of other countries and states already moving forwards with progressive methods of treating drugs as a health concern rather than a criminal issue.
The runaway success of new documentary Breaking The Taboo, produced by my son Sam's indie Sundog, illustrates the appetite for change that exists around this topic. Over 750,000 people have watched the ey-opening videos on Breaking The Taboo's YouTube channel in a matter of weeks.
In releasing the film for free for a month via YouTube, this new approach allows a far wider audience to learn about this vital issue. If it had been released via the traditional cinema route, only a fraction of this global audience would have seen the film. As well as tackling the failed war on drugs, I am proud to see Breaking The Taboo trailblazing in the way we view films in the future.
If you haven't seen Breaking The Taboo yet then watch the full documentary above and let us know what you think using the #breakthetaboo hashtag on Twitter.
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
