0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language
0:00:06 > 0:00:08ELECTRONICALLY DISTORTED VOICE: I don't see myself
0:00:08 > 0:00:11really as a drug dealer - I see myself more as just a salesman.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16I've got LSD, I've got MDMA crystal, I've got MDMA pills,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19I've got 2C-B pills, I've got 2C-I pills.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23A couple of rolls of outdoor-grown weed, and we have Afghan hash eggs.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29I sell 16 different types of drugs.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32All of the major ones.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36I do not sell heroin, I do not sell crack cocaine.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39I sell to a wide variety of people.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43They're students, a huge amount of young professionals.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48They will take drugs, but they're never going to talk about that
0:00:48 > 0:00:50at work because they'll get fired.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56People have been getting high in one form or another
0:00:56 > 0:00:58since the beginning of time.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Drug pureties are going up, drug prices are coming down.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08The government will recognise that illegalisation doesn't work.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I know it's wrong and I know it's bad. But I do enjoy it.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23A lot of things need to change in the way we treat drugs in this city
0:01:23 > 0:01:25and in this country.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32I've got surgeons, I've got lawyers, I've got doctors,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35a huge amount of young professionals.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37- Police!- Down on the floor, now!
0:01:37 > 0:01:38Open your mouth.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Don't swallow the drugs, spit them out!
0:01:45 > 0:01:48The risk would go away if everybody said no to drugs,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51but just telling people to say no to drugs hasn't worked.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55This is quite a small one.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Bit of a tickler, you know what I mean?
0:01:57 > 0:01:58LAUGHTER
0:02:00 > 0:02:04There's a bigger law than the law that we adhere to, and that law is,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07like, mushrooms, do them!
0:02:07 > 0:02:08HE LAUGHS
0:02:21 > 0:02:26RADIO PIPS
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Theresa May has stunned Westminster by announcing plans
0:02:28 > 0:02:31to call a general election for the 8th of June.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41The learned behaviour of a politician is,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44don't campaign on drug reform in election time.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46But Bristol has a drug problem.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51It's got well above average rates of drug use and misuse.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55- Hello!- Hello. - What's your name, darling?
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- Kechi.- Kechi? What about this little one here?
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- Noma.- Noma?- And that's her beret. - Oh!
0:03:01 > 0:03:07I've seen a massive increase in homelessness, drug-related issues.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12For me, having family, I sometimes feel scared when my family's out.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20I have seen the harm that alcohol and other drugs cause,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and I have seen it up close, I have seen it in my personal life
0:03:23 > 0:03:25as well as my political life,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and I think seeing it in my personal life and being affected by it
0:03:28 > 0:03:30motivates me.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35There is a lot of drug-taking in this flat.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I know so, for a fact.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44My son got his jaw broke two weeks ago and that's drug-related.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- Nice to meet you, Geraldine. - And you, take care.- Thank you.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52There are many, many social problems that affect everybody else
0:03:52 > 0:03:54that are caused by drug misuse,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57such as anti-social behaviour or drug litter.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01One way or another, we are all paying for the misuse of drugs.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Whether we take them or not, we're all paying for it.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Most of us most of the time want to make the world a better place.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12And as a politician, you get particular opportunities to do that.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15All right. Nice to meet you, Katrina.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Some people enjoy coffee.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Some people enjoy going to the gym.
0:04:22 > 0:04:23We like psychedelics...
0:04:23 > 0:04:25We're going to this radio station called Ujima.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29..and the law tries to stop us doing what we enjoy and what we love.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31And we're not harming anyone.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32We're bringing more joy.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Joe and I are friends first,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37but we also work together as performance artists.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Always in character.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Our play together evolves around two characters,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46myself and Joe as the Oracle and 3pZero,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49who travel through space to come to Earth cos it's in trouble,
0:04:49 > 0:04:50and we don't want it to end up like our planet.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- Police.- 3pZero, is this it?
0:04:53 > 0:04:56No, just patching the dials.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01And we've been performing under the name Micro-Rave
0:05:01 > 0:05:02for about eight years...
0:05:04 > 0:05:05And 3pZero in the place.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09..working all over, from festivals to town fetes and clubs...
0:05:11 > 0:05:14..and it's basically about unlocking the childlike nature
0:05:14 > 0:05:18inside all of us through a mashup of old-school computer gaming,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20raving and interactive theatre.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23Shark!
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Hello! How are you?
0:05:27 > 0:05:28Go and kill some dragons!
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- You don't remember us! - Nothing to see here!
0:05:36 > 0:05:37Nice, nice, nice.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Just wanted to introduce,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42we've got the guys from Micro-Rave in the studio.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44We've got the Oracle and 3pZero. How are you doing?
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Very good, very good, Tommy Popcorn.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49So, what's happening with the Micro-Rave?
0:05:49 > 0:05:50You've got a gig coming up, haven't you?
0:05:50 > 0:05:54Yes, we've got some rebel factions in Bristol town,
0:05:54 > 0:05:55namely the Munter Gatherers,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58and the Munter Gatherers are putting on an event
0:05:58 > 0:06:00at the Blue Mountain on the 13th of May,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04and we are orchestrating a robot battle in the upstairs room.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06The gig was called Rabotech, right?
0:06:06 > 0:06:07LAUGHTER
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Yes.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12RADIO: The Liberal Democrats have confirmed
0:06:12 > 0:06:15that plans to legalise cannabis will be included in their manifesto.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18The party says that the sales would be strictly regulated,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22and could generate up to £1 billion a year in tax revenues.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23But let me give you one of these.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- If there's anything else you want to know, give me a call.- Thank you.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Did the Lib Dems' cannabis reform
0:06:30 > 0:06:32come up at all on the doorstep this evening?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34- Cos it just happened today. - It did, actually.- Did it?
0:06:34 > 0:06:35What happened when it came up, Tom?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Well, it was somebody who'd voted Conservative last time,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40and they were saying, "I don't really want to vote for the Lib Dems
0:06:40 > 0:06:43"cos I'm pro-Brexit, but actually, the drug legalisation thing
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- "makes sense to me." - Well, that's interesting.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48If you see the charts of the harm done by alcohol and drugs,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51alcohol and heroin come at the top, not cannabis.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- Yeah.- So I get their reasoning, but we're not criminalising alcohol.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56So, for me, it was sort of,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58- "Why aren't we talking about all the drugs?"- Yeah.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Why are we thinking about an evidence-based policy review?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03- I don't know. Would you vote for that?- I think so, yeah.- Yes!
0:07:03 > 0:07:06I think I would! It's not in our manifesto.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Thank you all, guys, so, so much.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- Are you going back to the office? - I am.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Lots of people in my time as MP told me that they felt
0:07:16 > 0:07:17the drug laws needed reforming.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21I don't think we have a good answer to this,
0:07:21 > 0:07:22but I do know that as a politician,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26part of my job is to try and find a solution to it.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38HE CHUCKLES
0:07:40 > 0:07:41NOTES PLAY ON SYNTH
0:07:41 > 0:07:45When's the time to have the symbolic ingestion?
0:07:45 > 0:07:47- When's the time to take some mushrooms?- Mmm.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49I'm actually going to eat a mouthful.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY
0:08:02 > 0:08:03Cool.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07You should take another, cos I'm going to eat the whole...
0:08:08 > 0:08:10..thing.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Primordial gloop.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19Mushrooms open up new pathways in your brain, new ways of thinking.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I can already feel them now, inside me.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24- I'm in a cool place.- Whoa, so sweet!
0:08:24 > 0:08:28We find it unlocks innovation and new ways of looking at creativity.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Whoo! One, two, three, and...
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- BOTH:- # Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha Wha-wha-wha
0:08:35 > 0:08:36# Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha
0:08:36 > 0:08:38# Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha Wha-wha-wha
0:08:38 > 0:08:40# Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha
0:08:40 > 0:08:42# Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha Wha-wha-wha
0:08:42 > 0:08:43# Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha
0:08:43 > 0:08:44# Wha-wha-wha... #
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Yeah, we're going to need...
0:08:46 > 0:08:47Classic!
0:08:47 > 0:08:49One, two, three, and...
0:08:49 > 0:08:52RECORDED RHYTHM PLAYS
0:08:52 > 0:08:55The onset of mushrooms, especially with creative endeavours, for me,
0:08:55 > 0:09:00it causes a doorway, which is such a splurge of output.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04And it sort of like throws away the careful craft of something,
0:09:04 > 0:09:05- into, like, a real...- Yeah!
0:09:05 > 0:09:09Into a real, like, psychedelically violent, like, approach to it.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12THEY PLAY BONGOS
0:09:12 > 0:09:15RECORDED RHYTHM PLAYS
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Yeah, I can feel those mushrooms, it feels nice.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24- It's real good.- Yeah.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Come on, baby. Let's find the right place for you.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31You just keep on spinning.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42It's beautiful.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47We lose touch with the inner child,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50and mushrooms can really put you back in touch with that.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57SYNTH PLAYS, THEY LAUGH
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Mushrooms are a joy.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07They're a sheer, uplifting reminder...
0:10:08 > 0:10:12..that you don't have to live within the confines
0:10:12 > 0:10:16of what your mind sets up for you in daily life.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25LAUGHTER
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I'm just looking at your face and it's, like, slightly trippy.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34HE SIGHS
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Literally, right now, I would be quite happy going for a jog.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41A gentle sprint.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Yeah.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45HE LAUGHS
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Why would you...? Why do you want to go on a sprint?
0:10:53 > 0:10:54All right, OK. Let's do this.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13There's something very heart-warming about a psychedelic experience
0:11:13 > 0:11:15that...
0:11:15 > 0:11:19reminds me of the goodness that's in the universe.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25It's like a slow softening of your heart.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32HE CHUCKLES This is where we're at!
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Yeah, it's good to mooch about cities, man.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46It's a Friday night, we take some mushrooms.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47We're not beating anyone up.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Why is this against the law?
0:12:17 > 0:12:20If you are a functional, hard-working person
0:12:20 > 0:12:25and you choose to use certain substances in your spare time,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28then why should anyone be able to tell you that you can't do that?
0:12:28 > 0:12:34The fact of the matter is, making them illegal does not work.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36It doesn't stop people from taking drugs.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41People who really care about this issue,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43it is for something far greater.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47It's about stopping all of that money,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49so many millions of pounds,
0:12:49 > 0:12:54going into the black market when it could be going into the country,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56into roads, education.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Positive things to help everybody.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I'm a self-employed woodworker.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14And on top of that, I work full-time doing timber frame construction.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15So, this last two weeks,
0:13:15 > 0:13:19I've crammed in, on average, about 14 hours per day.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24My friend Freya, she started a clothing company
0:13:24 > 0:13:26about two and a half years ago now
0:13:26 > 0:13:28and the clothes are really, really popular.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37So, Paul, what time are we meeting at yours tomorrow?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- I've never, ever been with you on your birthday before.- What?!- Yeah.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42- Oh, I think we're just going to go to a nightclub...- Yep.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45..and then back to the house, and drop loads of acid.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46Drop tiny amounts of acid?
0:13:46 > 0:13:48A quarter of a tab at a time, I think,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51that's probably the order of the day, isn't it?
0:13:52 > 0:13:56- I find micro-dosing it is much more manageable.- Yep.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- I mean...- You're not necessarily out of it in any sense.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00No, not at all - you're completely lucid.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01- You're just there.- You're just...
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Everything's brighter and more vivid and more hilarious.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07I don't know if it's technically micro-dosing, what we do.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09- A quarter of a tab... - It's just a very small amount.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10It's a small amount, yeah.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Do you remember that first time that we were hanging out, Freya?
0:14:13 > 0:14:14Yeah.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19When I met you, you were in the process of being arrested.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21- Well, I think I HAD been arrested. - You'd been arrested!- Yeah.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- You were in the process of being charged.- Charged, yeah.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28I'd been to 11 festivals and I'd been, like,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31selling drugs at every single one of them and got away with it,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35and obviously pushed my luck, and the universe just said, "No,"
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and I got caught with an ounce of MDMA, 30 hits of 2C-I,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42seven grams ketamine, all individually wrapped up.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45But I mean, that particular experience taught me a lot
0:14:45 > 0:14:47about what not to do, ie, sell drugs,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49because it's just a dead end, isn't it?
0:14:49 > 0:14:52And now I don't sell drugs, I just take them every now and again -
0:14:52 > 0:14:53- it's way more fun.- Yeah.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06ELECTRONICALLY DISTORTED VOICE: The general public
0:15:06 > 0:15:08might make the assumption that all dealers are violent criminals,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10which, of course, some are, but...
0:15:10 > 0:15:13some of us do actually really like to give a good service.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17A banker or an estate agent doesn't want to do business
0:15:17 > 0:15:20with the type of dealers who carry knives.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24I'm going to be washing the cocaine.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29I've been told by my supplier that it's from Bolivia, it's 89% purity
0:15:29 > 0:15:30and it's uncut.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37What's that other 11%? That's what kind of worries me.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I want to wash it up in order to give people a cocaine experience,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46rather than a white powder, money-making experience.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Really, all that we're doing is cleaning it up
0:15:58 > 0:15:59to make the drug purer.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04I honestly actually care about people getting decent drugs
0:16:04 > 0:16:06at a decent price, and not getting mugged off.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22MACHINE BLEEPS
0:16:24 > 0:16:27I'm incredibly happy with the wash on this cocaine.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30We've got rid of that disgusting chemical smell
0:16:30 > 0:16:32that really shouldn't be there.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41This cocaine - I'll be selling it for £80 per gram.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46There is a lot of people who sell significantly worse coke than this
0:16:46 > 0:16:47for, like, £100 a gram.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Just because you're paying a lot
0:16:50 > 0:16:52really doesn't mean that you're getting a good product.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55It possibly just means that your dealer's a greedy bastard.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01The vast majority of cocaine use is just sociable cocaine use -
0:17:01 > 0:17:03it's not problem cocaine use whatsoever.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05It can also be...
0:17:06 > 0:17:11..an escape, and that's when it becomes a negative cycle.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13But people need support through that -
0:17:13 > 0:17:14they don't need criminalisation.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Nobody's shown me a drug yet that has no downside to its upside.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34There's a misunderstanding that the harmful drug use
0:17:34 > 0:17:38comes from only the most harmful drugs.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41But there are really horrible mental health problems
0:17:41 > 0:17:46that can result from ecstasy, or MDMA, or cannabis.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I work in the brief interventions team...
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- OK.- ..which specifically works with anyone
0:17:57 > 0:17:59- that uses recreational drugs problematically.- Right.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02So, anything that's not heroin, crack, or problematic alcohol.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- There are lots of different drugs that we work with.- Yeah.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07So, if you've got cocaine, if you're using it daily,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10you're depleting the sort of happy hormones in your mind,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12you're losing your serotonin and your dopamine very quickly.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14It costs a lot of money.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16So, before you know it, there's debt piling up.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- Yeah.- With cannabis, it's only been recognised recently
0:18:18 > 0:18:20that there's a cannabis withdrawal syndrome.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24So, if you use quite regularly for a period of time
0:18:24 > 0:18:25and then try to stop,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28you can get physical and psychological difficulties.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31We don't tend to see referrals for MDMA and psychedelics
0:18:31 > 0:18:34as a main drug, but they tend to be a secondary or third drug
0:18:34 > 0:18:38that people use but don't tend to want to address at that point,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40because that's their fun drug that they're not addicted to.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43To people who have no experience with drugs whatsoever,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46but who may be concerned about a friend or a family member...
0:18:46 > 0:18:49To them, they may well think, "Well, surely all drugs are harmful."
0:18:49 > 0:18:51And our message is always,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54the only 100% safe way to take a drug is not to take it.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59- Not at all. Yeah.- But if someone has the information...
0:18:59 > 0:19:00- Yeah.- ..knows the risks...
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- Yeah.- ..and is able to make an informed decision...
0:19:04 > 0:19:05..that's their right.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06With my team,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09we have a lot of people that use recreational drugs
0:19:09 > 0:19:10- quite effectively.- Yeah.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13You know, and live out a functional life of working
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- or going to uni or so on.- Yeah.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17I think when we talk about negative effects,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19it's as if someone has found that their drug use
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- has then caused them to miss work... - OK.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24..or it's caused them... their mental health to deteriorate,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28or they feel that they're taking more and more than they want to.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31And how far do you think that levels of education about drugs
0:19:31 > 0:19:34in schools nowadays are able to help young people
0:19:34 > 0:19:37make those sorts of assessments of themselves?
0:19:37 > 0:19:38We do a lot of harm-reduction stuff,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and just educating people on looking at testing their drugs,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46or looking at getting enough sleep, eating, looking after your friends,
0:19:46 > 0:19:47all of these different things,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and I think if that was used in schools,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52it would be less of an issue.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57- Most of what we see at BDP is alcohol-related issues...- Really?
0:19:57 > 0:19:58..and also heroin and crack.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02- Alcohol is completely legal, and yet it is very harmful.- Yeah.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04But I can get access to good information about it
0:20:04 > 0:20:05much more easily.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07And alcohol always stays as alcohol,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10whereas if you look at pills and MDMA,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12and the purity levels have gone up in the last couple of years...
0:20:12 > 0:20:15If we don't have that education out there to show people,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18- and put that harm reduction in place...- Right.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20..the likelihood is there will be more deaths.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34For every person suffering from drug addiction,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36there may well be five or six or seven other people
0:20:36 > 0:20:39who are using the same drug, not suffering addiction
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and aren't finding it as problematic in their lives.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52Wow, this is such a huge amount of speed,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I definitely won't need all of this.
0:20:56 > 0:20:57Poor man's cocaine.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Or rich man's...erm...
0:21:00 > 0:21:01- Coffee?- Coffee, yeah.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Probably not - it's probably a similar price to coffee.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- It's probably cheaper. - SHE LAUGHS
0:21:06 > 0:21:08It's a lot cheaper.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10This is... This is quite a small one.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Bit of a tickler, do you know what I mean?
0:21:12 > 0:21:15LAUGHTER
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Do you want some speed, Freya?
0:21:22 > 0:21:23Er...a tiny bit?
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Doesn't even give you, like, crazy energy, it just keeps you awake.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29It's the best and the worst thing about speed,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32- is the fact that it means you can't sleep.- That is it, isn't it?
0:21:32 > 0:21:36I mean, there's been occasions where I've taken one line of speed
0:21:36 > 0:21:41at 5.00 or 6.00 in the evening, and then not slept until the next day.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46That's not great for mood, if you're not feeling good.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50It's not the same as, like, for example, like, MDMA,
0:21:50 > 0:21:51which I used to take a lot of.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55I can't stand MDMA any more, because you end up, like,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57rolling around with your eyes in the back of your head...
0:21:57 > 0:21:59You end up looking like what Tristan's looking like!
0:21:59 > 0:22:01- Really fucked.- Mmm.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Yeah.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I feel tired, but I feel great.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10Is that cos you took half a pill?
0:22:10 > 0:22:12- No.- Do you want some speed?
0:22:12 > 0:22:13- No.- I do!
0:22:15 > 0:22:17LAUGHTER
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Yes, I take drugs and I absolutely love it!
0:22:21 > 0:22:23LAUGHTER
0:22:25 > 0:22:26Let's do this.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35I'm going for a wee, 'scuse me.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39I've put myself in some uncomfortable states
0:22:39 > 0:22:42through excessive drug-taking.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46But that's down to me being excessive.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56It's quite a liberal attitude to drugs, especially in Bristol,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58and I think that's because the police and the powers that be
0:22:58 > 0:23:01realise that no-one's actually doing anyone any harm.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12Every weekend, people go out and party at clubs all over the city.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13By criminalising drugs,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16you criminalise a big chunk of the population.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20MUSIC: Church by The 2 Bears
0:23:22 > 0:23:26# Come on, girl, let's have some fun We can jump and shout together... #
0:23:38 > 0:23:41It's fun, and you have interesting experiences,
0:23:41 > 0:23:42and it opens your mind...
0:23:45 > 0:23:47WHISTLING
0:23:47 > 0:23:48LAUGHTER
0:23:53 > 0:23:56..and you feel loved-up if you've taken MDMA...
0:24:03 > 0:24:06..and you feel full of energy if you take speed.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Some drugs are harmful in excess.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Some drugs are habitual...
0:24:26 > 0:24:29..and therefore are taken to excess.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Of course there's risks involved in drug-taking -
0:24:43 > 0:24:45there's a risk involved in anything.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50People should be careful -
0:24:50 > 0:24:52it's not something to be dabbled with lightly.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03For the most part, recreational drugs, if done responsibly,
0:25:03 > 0:25:04are not harmful.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15You can't possibly police and enforce a law which...
0:25:15 > 0:25:18nobody's interested in adhering to.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever come across,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28and I've come across a few, but that is definitely up there.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- Pete, catch! Go on! - Pete can't catch!
0:25:33 > 0:25:34SNORTS OF LAUGHTER
0:25:34 > 0:25:36That was wicked, wasn't it?
0:25:36 > 0:25:38- Pete, careful with the oncoming traffic.- Oh, my God!
0:25:40 > 0:25:44- Off he goes...- "Young man dies in accident on longboard.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46"Drugs implicated."
0:26:06 > 0:26:09In the two years that I've been an elected politician,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11I've tried to create lots of different spaces and different ways
0:26:11 > 0:26:13for people to engage with me.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17When I look at particular problems that are affecting my constituents
0:26:17 > 0:26:20or affecting the country, what I want to do in each and every case
0:26:20 > 0:26:22is to talk to the experts, read the evidence,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24listen to what's out there,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26and try and come to an informed decision.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31So, I'm really glad that we could do this.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34And the reason being that in this city,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Bristol has staggeringly high levels of harm from drugs,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39and I suppose that's one of the reasons why I'm glad
0:26:39 > 0:26:40we're having this meeting,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43is because I felt all along that what was missing for me
0:26:43 > 0:26:46was the expertise of people who do the science.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57I was surprised that you agreed to see us, to be honest.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59You know, drugs is a very...
0:26:59 > 0:27:03It's a topic that MPs generally like not to be engaged with,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06or generally like not to be challenged by.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09A mother close to me cried pretty much every day
0:27:09 > 0:27:11of the last 20-odd years of her life
0:27:11 > 0:27:15because of the death of her middle child to heroin,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and it haunted me,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21and it haunts me still that she was suffering the harms of drugs
0:27:21 > 0:27:26long after he was, but so were his children, who didn't have a dad.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29And so was he - you know, something was clearly badly wrong.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32We don't seem to have managed yet, as a country,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35to have an evidence-based approach to policymaking on drugs.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39The thing about the Misuse of Drugs Act is it's 45 years old,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43and it's exactly the same as it was the day it was written 45 years ago.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- Is it really?- Well, it's been tweaked here and there,
0:27:46 > 0:27:47but essentially,
0:27:47 > 0:27:49everything's illegal apart from alcohol and cigarettes,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51and here's how we classify them
0:27:51 > 0:27:53as which are more dangerous than others.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Now, I can't think of any other socio-political policy
0:27:56 > 0:27:58that's not changed in 45 years.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02We've completely overhauled the education system, the judiciary,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06health, you know, endless revisions of these policies
0:28:06 > 0:28:09in line with evidence-based practice as it emerges...
0:28:09 > 0:28:13- Yeah.- ..yet the Misuse of Drugs Act, it's completely not fit for purpose.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15We need to decide what...
0:28:15 > 0:28:17What are the goals of our policies,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21and one of the great disappointments is that both this current government
0:28:21 > 0:28:24and the previous Labour government, in their strategy,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28they never had reducing harm - harm reduction was never used.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32The continual mantra was, "We must reduce drug use."
0:28:32 > 0:28:36Most people use most drugs without coming to great harm
0:28:36 > 0:28:37most of the time.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40So, what's the difference, then, between drug use,
0:28:40 > 0:28:42drug misuse, and addiction?
0:28:42 > 0:28:44And what I bring to this is...
0:28:44 > 0:28:49trauma, and child abuse, and poverty, and social exclusion,
0:28:49 > 0:28:53and poor education, and poor housing - a lack of opportunities.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58Those are the factors that turn a drug user into a drug misuser.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01But so many people turn to drugs or alcohol...
0:29:02 > 0:29:04..because they can't get any other services.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07You know, it's the only way they can really deal
0:29:07 > 0:29:09with this chronic, ongoing pain they have.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12The idea that if drugs were softened or regulated,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15we'd all be high all the time - it's just utter fiction.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18There is no evidence to suggest that would happen at all.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20But there's better - there's evidence that it DOESN'T happen.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Yeah, there's evidence that it reduces...
0:29:22 > 0:29:24It doesn't happen in the Netherlands,
0:29:24 > 0:29:25where cannabis is legal.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27People aren't stoned all the time.
0:29:27 > 0:29:28They use less cannabis,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31because again, the black market is driving cannabis use here.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33So, Portugal 15 years ago,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36decriminalised personal possession of all drugs.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40They did it for economic reasons, because the prisons were filling up
0:29:40 > 0:29:42and they wanted a new strategy.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44In those 15 years,
0:29:44 > 0:29:49deaths from heroin in Portugal have reduced to one third
0:29:49 > 0:29:52of what they were before, because heroin addicts get treatment -
0:29:52 > 0:29:56they don't just get put in prison, or they don't get just punished.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58In Britain, over the same 15 years,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02we've INCREASED our heroin deaths by over a third,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05because our policy is simply to punish rather than treat.
0:30:06 > 0:30:07That sums it up.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Imagine a little shop out there now, selling cannabis,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13ecstasy, amphetamine, magic mushrooms, LSD.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Now, if you say that to most people,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18they find that an extraordinary thing, they couldn't imagine it,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20that would be terrible.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24But then I say, "Well, OK, so where are these drugs now?"
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Well, the truth is, they're not in a little shop there,
0:30:26 > 0:30:27they're in that kitchen over there,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30where someone's bagging out bags of cocaine
0:30:30 > 0:30:32with a couple of three-year-olds on the floor.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36There's two people sitting in a car there selling ketamine.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38There's a man in the pub just there selling heroin.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42They are everywhere - the drugs are already in our society.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45We can keep doing what we're doing now, because it isn't working.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48At the moment, it feels so alien that we could change it,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52but just imagine if we changed it - we had a regulated drugs market -
0:30:52 > 0:30:54and actually it worked.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03I don't know yet if complete abolition of all drugs laws
0:31:03 > 0:31:05is the answer.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Let's say all drugs were legalised.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15I'd still have to explain to the next mother of a child that died
0:31:15 > 0:31:18why I'd decided that it was OK to legalise drugs.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23But I'm also struck by the fact that the fact that it is illegal
0:31:23 > 0:31:24isn't stopping them.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33The people like me that are saying drug policy needs reforming
0:31:33 > 0:31:35are not saying it so that we can all take more drugs.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38We can take plenty of drugs - that is not the issue.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43The reason we care about is we want the drugs to be cleaner,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45we want education to be better about it
0:31:45 > 0:31:49so people can make more informed decisions.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57- Thank you for everything! - You're welcome, thank you.
0:31:59 > 0:32:00- I love you.- I love you, too.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02- I love you!- Where are you going? - I love you!
0:32:02 > 0:32:04- You're not going anywhere, are you? - I'm leaving!
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Bye, people! Bye-bye!
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Bye-bye! What's her name, Martha?
0:32:11 > 0:32:12Martha?
0:32:12 > 0:32:14Bye-bye!
0:32:15 > 0:32:19It's just this law that has no effect on our day-to-day lives.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- Yeah.- It's actually very true - it has absolutely no effect.
0:32:22 > 0:32:23It has no effect at all...
0:32:23 > 0:32:25- If you're not a dealer. - ..on what we want to do.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29We choose to take recreational substances occasionally
0:32:29 > 0:32:30at the weekends.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33It gives us really amazing experiences
0:32:33 > 0:32:36in a way that you don't when you're not on drugs,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39because your inhibitions are so incredibly lowered, and...
0:32:39 > 0:32:40You think THAT'S the problem?
0:32:40 > 0:32:43I mean, the fact that we're so reserved
0:32:43 > 0:32:46- that it actually takes drugs to open up to that extent.- Yeah.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48What if you really enjoy your drug,
0:32:48 > 0:32:50but you also really enjoy having fun at the weekends,
0:32:50 > 0:32:52- and it's just, like, kind of... - But I do both those things.
0:32:52 > 0:32:53There's a real tension there.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56It's very difficult to stay up all night taking drugs
0:32:56 > 0:32:59- for all weekend, and then go and perform well at work.- I do that.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01- I do that.- OK, it depends what job you do, maybe.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I'm not saying the drugs themselves are great - they're just a tool.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05In fact, sometimes they're not,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08but they're a tool to get somewhere that perhaps we could get...
0:33:08 > 0:33:11- without the drugs in a different... - When is that ever going to happen?
0:33:11 > 0:33:13- Yeah, not in our society.- No.
0:33:13 > 0:33:14Do you know what Martha said?
0:33:14 > 0:33:16She said she's amazed and surprised
0:33:16 > 0:33:20at how much more people in England take drugs than in Spain.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23- Really?- And I think that's...- We do like to smash it in this country.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26No, honestly, we take way more drugs in England than in most... Yeah.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30- Binge drinking, binge drug-taking, do everything to excess.- Yeah.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33- Smash it.- Why?- It's part of our... - Because we're so reserved?
0:33:33 > 0:33:34I think it is partly that.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36Do you know what the Spanish have that we don't?
0:33:36 > 0:33:40- They have a much closer-knit sense of community and family.- Right.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42That's true. I feel like you're my family.
0:33:42 > 0:33:43But we only know what we've experienced.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47Maybe there's other people that feel the same element of closeness
0:33:47 > 0:33:49without ever having tried any drugs at all.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57ELECTRONICALLY DISTORTED VOICE: Most people want to take drugs
0:33:57 > 0:33:59just to have a good time, and I see it as my job
0:33:59 > 0:34:01to make sure that's possible and safe.
0:34:04 > 0:34:05Whenever I get something new in,
0:34:05 > 0:34:09I test them with test kits to make sure that it is actually what it is.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12I will then, in-person, test it, so either myself,
0:34:12 > 0:34:16or I will give it to a group of people who know what the deal is.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21I check that everything's safe before we go on and bag it up,
0:34:21 > 0:34:25and eventually sell it to people who have their lives together
0:34:25 > 0:34:27and just want to have a good time.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30I don't want to have to eat a pill and go,
0:34:30 > 0:34:32"Ooh, yeah, I think that was good."
0:34:32 > 0:34:35I want to just be able to pay
0:34:35 > 0:34:38to get someone to tell me exactly what's in my pill.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43If I ended up selling something that killed somebody,
0:34:43 > 0:34:45I really couldn't live with myself.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51If every dealer had easy access to a lab test...
0:34:52 > 0:34:55..then there'd be a lot less deaths.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11Most of our typical weekends in the summer are in fields -
0:35:11 > 0:35:12that's our jobs.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16Some weeks, we'll work sort of 70 hours on the shop.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Not partying constantly -
0:35:18 > 0:35:20you're working and you have some responsibility.
0:35:20 > 0:35:25But you still get to enjoy carefree-ness and letting loose.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41It's actually nice to come up here, because I was a bit...
0:35:41 > 0:35:42I was feeling a bit...
0:35:42 > 0:35:44When there's, like, a million people in the shop,
0:35:44 > 0:35:45it's a bit hectic sometimes.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50It's just like any other festival, really.
0:35:50 > 0:35:51People come here to have a good time,
0:35:51 > 0:35:53some of them want to take drugs.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57And nobody's really looking down at you or frowning at you,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01and it doesn't really feel like anything's being done that's wrong.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08We know drug policy doesn't work.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Pretty much every single person at this entire festival
0:36:11 > 0:36:16is on the same page, as far as, like, those laws are just...wrong.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Imagine if you went to a festival
0:36:25 > 0:36:28and you knew that you wanted to have some drug experiences,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30and you could do it from a place
0:36:30 > 0:36:32where they'd give you all the information
0:36:32 > 0:36:35about what this particular substance might do to you,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and they sat you down and said, "Right, OK, just so you know,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41"if you are willing to try this substance, whatever it might be,
0:36:41 > 0:36:43"this is what it's going to feel like,
0:36:43 > 0:36:47"and these are the possible side effects, and...
0:36:47 > 0:36:49"are you comfortable with doing that?"
0:36:51 > 0:36:54There are these places already where you can go and get your drugs tested
0:36:54 > 0:36:56and find out exactly what's in them.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03It's happening at lots of festivals around the country already.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37- Hi, can I help you?- Hi. - What have you got for us?
0:37:37 > 0:37:38Do you think it's MDMA?
0:37:38 > 0:37:39I've been told it's ecstasy -
0:37:39 > 0:37:42I would imagine it's probably cut with something.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45- What was the logo on it initially? - It was an emoji...- An emoji?
0:37:45 > 0:37:47..with cross eyes.
0:37:47 > 0:37:48And you've not taken any of this batch?
0:37:48 > 0:37:50- I haven't, no.- OK.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- Yeah, looks good to me. - The wait's about two hours.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55- Yeah, fantastic.- And that's it, OK?
0:37:55 > 0:37:56Cool. Cheers.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08This is the busiest festival we've been at.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16Yesterday, we were conducting one test per minute.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24Basically, we are bringing drugs workers to the field,
0:38:24 > 0:38:28to people who probably wouldn't step into a drug service themselves.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32So, with the cap, if you can take a spatula end's full,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34and pop it in this bag?
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Most people that we see are in the 18 to 25 age group.
0:38:38 > 0:38:39I think it's a good idea,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42if we can engage people earlier on in their drug-taking career,
0:38:42 > 0:38:44then we think that's a really valuable service.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57- Hello!- Hi. You all right?- How are we doing? Come on, take a seat.
0:38:57 > 0:38:58- My name's Becky.- Hi, Becky.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00- Nice to meet you.- I'm Joe. - You don't need to tell me your name,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03but that's really kind of you, thanks, Joe.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05So, what do you believe you've given us to be tested?
0:39:05 > 0:39:09An emoji ecstasy tablet, yellow.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11And do you know if any of them are from, like, the dark web?
0:39:11 > 0:39:13- Most things are these days. - Yeah, sure.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16And have you ever had a negative experience?
0:39:16 > 0:39:17- On MDMA?- Yeah.- No.- No.
0:39:17 > 0:39:22- I've had a negative experience with mushrooms once...- OK, sure, yeah.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27..but I was taking the piss - I took about 700 in Cornwall.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30- That'll do it, yeah! - Yeah, and it was deep.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37The MDMA content we found was to be a high content.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40So, we have a grading system of one, two and three,
0:39:40 > 0:39:41and it was a grade three.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43So, what we'd really advise people doing
0:39:43 > 0:39:45when it comes to high-content MDMA pills
0:39:45 > 0:39:47is starting with a very small amount.
0:39:47 > 0:39:48Incremental, yes.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54This kind of thing helps to actually deal with it,
0:39:54 > 0:39:56and accept the fact that people just want to have a good time.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58Yeah.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00When people are dying year on year at festivals,
0:40:00 > 0:40:01something's got to be done.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- Something's got to be done, yeah. - We can't just let that happen.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06- Thanks a lot.- See you later, Joe. - Cheers.- Take care.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23We've got the highest drug-related death rate on record.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Last year, 63 people died from ecstasy-related deaths,
0:40:26 > 0:40:28and six of those were at festivals.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31It's gone up eightfold in the space of seven years.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46So, you believe this substance to be MDMA, is that right?
0:40:47 > 0:40:49For us, it's about identifying contaminants,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52putting out alerts to raise awareness,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54to help reduce drug-related harm.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56The substance was not MDMA.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58- Wasn't it?- No.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01It was a compound called N-ethyl pentylone,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04which has a very similar appearance to MDMA,
0:41:04 > 0:41:07but it's actually a distant relative of mephedrone.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21So, we've identified chloroquine,
0:41:21 > 0:41:23which is a malaria tablet that's been mis-sold as cocaine.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26We've identified boric acid,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29a household cleaning fluid and pesticide,
0:41:29 > 0:41:32and we've identified 100% concrete that's being mis-sold as ecstasy.
0:41:35 > 0:41:36Also at this festival,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40we've found different psychoactive substances being sold as MDMA.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Pentylone is a concern.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46We've had over ten samples so far over the past two days.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51What happens is they could be awake for up to 36 hours
0:41:51 > 0:41:54with this very strong and lasting stimulant,
0:41:54 > 0:41:58and they'll have agitation, paranoia, insomnia,
0:41:58 > 0:42:00elevated blood pressure and pulse.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11We're not encouraging or increasing drug use -
0:42:11 > 0:42:14we're actually trying to identify and establish
0:42:14 > 0:42:15and decrease drug misuse.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Nationally, we're not seeing a move towards drug policy reform,
0:42:21 > 0:42:23but in the regions, we are seeing a shift
0:42:23 > 0:42:26towards diversion, away from criminal justice
0:42:26 > 0:42:29and towards public health-related measures.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35And what's really interesting is this is already happening in the UK,
0:42:35 > 0:42:36it's happening in festivals,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39but I think it would be good if we could formalise this
0:42:39 > 0:42:41in terms of the Misuse of Drugs Act as well.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52As it is, it's an unregulated market.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57There's no laws protecting somebody who wants to take a pill of ecstasy
0:42:57 > 0:42:58at the weekend.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00They don't know what they're taking.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Is there a particular vision that you've got
0:43:03 > 0:43:05of what you want drug and alcohol services to look like
0:43:05 > 0:43:07as the commissioner?
0:43:07 > 0:43:08We've got a pretty good understanding
0:43:08 > 0:43:10of the needs of the population in Bristol.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13We've still got a particularly large issue with heroin in this city
0:43:13 > 0:43:16and increasingly, you know, issues around club drugs.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Fiona, could you tell me just... I know it's a thing called The Loop,
0:43:18 > 0:43:20but what is that, exactly?
0:43:20 > 0:43:21It's not not-for-profit,
0:43:21 > 0:43:23so it's an enterprise that we set up in 2013.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26If people have any substances of concern, they can bring them
0:43:26 > 0:43:29and we'll conduct four different tests,
0:43:29 > 0:43:33and it will say what's in the substance, the key ingredients,
0:43:33 > 0:43:36and also it can give an indication of the purity, as well.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39In relation to ecstasy, we've got a specific type of analysis
0:43:39 > 0:43:42which will say how much MDMA is in an ecstasy tablet.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45At the moment, very high strength is a particular concern.
0:43:45 > 0:43:50We had stuff a few months ago in Bristol marketed as Darth Vader,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53and we had that tested, and that was 270.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56And so really, really, very high-potency stuff.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58And what are the consequences of that?
0:43:58 > 0:44:01Ecstasy-related deaths are increasing in the UK.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04We don't really know all the full reasons for that,
0:44:04 > 0:44:05but we suspect part of that is the fact
0:44:05 > 0:44:09that ecstasy tablets have got more MDMA and so they're stronger.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12- Yeah.- With illegal drugs, nobody knows what's in the illegal drugs
0:44:12 > 0:44:15and I suppose the unique thing that drug testing can do
0:44:15 > 0:44:18is it makes that connection between what people think they've bought,
0:44:18 > 0:44:19- and what they've actually bought. - Yeah.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23We identified boric acid was being mis-sold as cocaine,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26and 100% concrete had been made into ecstasy pills
0:44:26 > 0:44:27and were being sold on site.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29I want people to know if there's concrete
0:44:29 > 0:44:30in things they're about to take.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32We ask people at the end of the intervention,
0:44:32 > 0:44:34would they like us to dispose of any other drugs
0:44:34 > 0:44:36- they've got on their person... - Right.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39..and one in five people said yes, and gave us drugs to dispose of,
0:44:39 > 0:44:41because they didn't want to take them.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43So we're taking drugs out of circulation.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45I love this idea, I'm fully behind it -
0:44:45 > 0:44:47I think it should be happening everywhere.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49What's the long-term outcome of there being drug testing available?
0:44:49 > 0:44:51Is there any way of measuring that?
0:44:51 > 0:44:53In Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55they have very good early warning system red alerts.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59An example I'd give of that was the red Superman tablets.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02And they put out a red alert, and nobody died in the Netherlands.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05But in the UK, we didn't have a national public health alert
0:45:05 > 0:45:07and four people died.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10I get what you're saying completely, and I am actually...
0:45:10 > 0:45:14I'm convinced of quite a lot of things that need to change
0:45:14 > 0:45:16in the way we treat drugs in this city and this country.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20If you were going to start from scratch and create drug laws now,
0:45:20 > 0:45:21knowing what we do now,
0:45:21 > 0:45:24we would not create them out there as they are now.
0:45:24 > 0:45:25- Well, or...- They make no sense.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29- ..we'd just make alcohol and tobacco illegal.- Yeah, we'd do that!
0:45:29 > 0:45:32There's three big things that are on my list as a policy-maker,
0:45:32 > 0:45:36and one is about decriminalised possession, and then testing...
0:45:37 > 0:45:39..enable testing to happen.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41The third thing is about illegality.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43Should I not be able to purchase my drugs legally
0:45:43 > 0:45:46if I know that they are well-tested, well-regulated?
0:45:46 > 0:45:49If I'm going to purchase them, is it not better for everybody
0:45:49 > 0:45:50if I purchase them in a safe environment?
0:45:50 > 0:45:53- I think that may be...- It's a harder leap for people to make.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55- A huge step.- Yeah.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58I am going to do my best to try and make this a political priority
0:45:58 > 0:45:59for government.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02It's not my government, but that doesn't mean I can't try.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21This is the calm before the... Hopefully, the storm.
0:46:21 > 0:46:22Let's create a storm!
0:46:27 > 0:46:28After eight years of doing this...
0:46:28 > 0:46:30- Yeah.- ..I am yet to feel...
0:46:34 > 0:46:36..like I fully know what I'm doing.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38I've got the tunes.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40- Yeah. - I've got the tunes that we need.
0:46:40 > 0:46:41- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44- OK! - HE CHUCKLES
0:46:47 > 0:46:50All right. There is a lot of love in the house!
0:46:57 > 0:46:59Nights like these wouldn't happen
0:46:59 > 0:47:02without my initial and continuing psychedelic experiences.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08You definitely can draw on the energy of psychedelia,
0:47:08 > 0:47:09but you don't need it.
0:47:11 > 0:47:16Both of us have tried and failed to imbibe substances whilst performing.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21Generally, it's just not a great idea.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24Give it up for the 3pZero in the house!
0:47:24 > 0:47:25Boy!
0:47:25 > 0:47:27CHEERING
0:47:27 > 0:47:31Yes! Earthlings in the place, I am the Oracle!
0:47:32 > 0:47:37Tonight, you have a chance to save Trevor!
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Yeah, boy!
0:47:40 > 0:47:43RETRO COMPUTER GAME MUSIC PLAYS
0:47:43 > 0:47:46With Micro-Rave, people can feel invited
0:47:46 > 0:47:51to experience the fun and joy that exists in all of us.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Psychedelics do that for us, but not everyone takes these kinds of drugs.
0:47:54 > 0:47:58We're about to play the challenge called Creepy Neighbour!
0:47:58 > 0:48:00Which one of you is the creepiest?
0:48:03 > 0:48:05Creepier!
0:48:05 > 0:48:07Player two might have it!
0:48:07 > 0:48:09You never know how a Micro-Rave night will turn out
0:48:09 > 0:48:12or whether the public will even understand it.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Actually, it doesn't matter if they do.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17As long as they lose themselves for a while in the madness...
0:48:20 > 0:48:22She has unlocked a rave tune!
0:48:24 > 0:48:29We're giving people an excuse to give reason to their celebration.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35Saving the galaxy or the planet from a robot invasion threat.
0:48:38 > 0:48:39Are you ready for battle?
0:48:39 > 0:48:41- CROWD:- Yeah!
0:48:41 > 0:48:43Earthlings, are you ready for battle?
0:48:43 > 0:48:46The robots are going to attack!
0:48:52 > 0:48:54When we raise Trevor in the air,
0:48:54 > 0:48:5690% of the people might not understand - what is this?
0:48:56 > 0:48:58It's like some sort of cardboard broccoli.
0:49:03 > 0:49:04I love the chaos of it.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07Just making it a crazy spectacle.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12HE SHOUTS WILDLY
0:49:12 > 0:49:15Opportunity to raise their fists in the air and say,
0:49:15 > 0:49:16"Yeah, we defeated the robots!"
0:49:21 > 0:49:25Give it up for the players, the ones and the twos and the ha-wa-wa-was.
0:49:25 > 0:49:26That's you!
0:49:26 > 0:49:29RAVE MUSIC PLAYS
0:49:30 > 0:49:35Drugs and dancing go hand-in-hand - it's deeply tribal like that.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40That's greater than the psychedelic experience on its own.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46I allocated a certain wedge of my personal energy
0:49:46 > 0:49:48to putting on parties.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56I'm not saying everyone should take drugs.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03I'm just saying it's really good to feel connected.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07Life is psychedelic.
0:50:08 > 0:50:13Without psychedelics, we wouldn't be putting on nights like this.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16This is Micro-Rave out.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19You know how to protect Trevor and you guys know how to rave!
0:50:20 > 0:50:22LAUGHTER
0:50:23 > 0:50:25That was fucking crazy!
0:50:25 > 0:50:27- Yeah, that was great, bro. - That was great, yeah.
0:50:27 > 0:50:28I thought that was great,
0:50:28 > 0:50:32I thought that the general response of the earthlings was, you know...
0:50:32 > 0:50:33better than usual!
0:50:34 > 0:50:37- Well... - That's what it's all about, guys!
0:50:39 > 0:50:43RADIO PIPS
0:50:43 > 0:50:46It is 8.00 on Thursday, the 8th of June.
0:50:46 > 0:50:47The headlines this morning -
0:50:47 > 0:50:49voting is under way in the general election
0:50:49 > 0:50:52at polling stations across the UK.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54- Hiya. Do you have your polling card? - No.
0:50:54 > 0:50:55OK, no worries.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Millions of people will cast their votes today in the general election.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03Polling stations across the UK opened an hour ago
0:51:03 > 0:51:05and will close at 10.00 tonight.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09Today's the 8th of June, polls close at 10.00 tonight,
0:51:09 > 0:51:11and it's your chance to cast your vote
0:51:11 > 0:51:13to help decide what sort of country you want to wake up in
0:51:13 > 0:51:14tomorrow morning.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16BIG BEN CHIMES
0:51:16 > 0:51:19BBC News at 10.00. I'm Sarah Louden.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23Polling has just closed in the 2017 general election.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30I think probably somebody, an MP at some point -
0:51:30 > 0:51:31I don't know if it's going to be me -
0:51:31 > 0:51:34but somebody's probably going to have to be brave enough to say,
0:51:34 > 0:51:36"We need to reform the law on drugs."
0:51:36 > 0:51:38There may be electoral consequences,
0:51:38 > 0:51:40but I think it's the right thing to do.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55At the election held on Thursday, 8th of June, 2017,
0:51:55 > 0:51:59the number of votes cast for each candidate is as follows.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Debbonaire, Thangam Elizabeth Rachel,
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Labour Party,
0:52:04 > 0:52:0547,000...
0:52:05 > 0:52:08CHEERING
0:52:22 > 0:52:25I would like to thank all the volunteers,
0:52:25 > 0:52:29particularly the young people, who've joined us in their droves!
0:52:29 > 0:52:31CHEERING
0:52:34 > 0:52:38Yesterday, Bristol West voted for progressive politics,
0:52:38 > 0:52:40loudly and clearly!
0:52:40 > 0:52:41CHEERING
0:52:43 > 0:52:45And for hope.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47- Thank you. - CHEERING
0:52:52 > 0:52:53The housing crisis and the schools crisis
0:52:53 > 0:52:55are the two things at the top of my list.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58There are too many people sleeping rough on our streets,
0:52:58 > 0:53:00there are too many people who are hidden homeless.
0:53:00 > 0:53:01This must stop.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06The difference between being elected and not is huge.
0:53:06 > 0:53:07When you are a politician,
0:53:07 > 0:53:09I do get to stand up in front of the Home Secretary and say,
0:53:09 > 0:53:11"What are you doing about drug law?"
0:53:11 > 0:53:15And it's one of the things that I will be pushing them on
0:53:15 > 0:53:16over the next few years.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18SHOUTING AND CHEERING
0:53:21 > 0:53:23CROWD CHANTS: Thangam Debbonaire!
0:53:23 > 0:53:25LAUGHTER
0:53:33 > 0:53:35ELECTRONICALLY DISTORTED VOICE: Doesn't really matter
0:53:35 > 0:53:38what government's in power, what their attitude to drugs is,
0:53:38 > 0:53:41how they're going to tackle drugs, how policing for drugs is funded,
0:53:41 > 0:53:43because the biggest change in drug dealing and drug supply
0:53:43 > 0:53:46has happened in the past five years.
0:53:48 > 0:53:49It's called the dark net.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59No-one ever predicted it would actually take off in the way it has.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02Really, it's a train that's already got going
0:54:02 > 0:54:03and there's no way of stopping it.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07It's absolutely fucking massive.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09Not only do you have a choice of, let's say,
0:54:09 > 0:54:121,000 different vendors selling it,
0:54:12 > 0:54:14but you've got an eBay rating system.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16Vendors who are not legitimate,
0:54:16 > 0:54:18who don't send out what they say they're sending out,
0:54:18 > 0:54:22will be outed incredibly quickly and people won't buy from them.
0:54:22 > 0:54:23So here we go -
0:54:23 > 0:54:26he's essentially not sending out the pills that he said he is,
0:54:26 > 0:54:29so someone is...very pissed off.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32He's got a lot of bad reviews,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35so there's absolutely no way that I would buy from this guy.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40You've got to be able to work out how to use encryption tools,
0:54:40 > 0:54:44and you've got to be able to work out how to purchase Bitcoins
0:54:44 > 0:54:46without identifying yourself.
0:54:46 > 0:54:47If you can't work out how to do that,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50I would really suggest that you just stay far away from the dark net.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54It is a bit of a hub for criminals.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56You've got to think about what you're funding,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59you know, whether you're funding people-trafficking,
0:54:59 > 0:55:01whether you're funding prostitution rings,
0:55:01 > 0:55:03whether you're funding debt collection through violence,
0:55:03 > 0:55:04all kinds of things.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08You're never going to stop drug dealing on the dark net,
0:55:08 > 0:55:12but what you can do is you can stop criminalising end users
0:55:12 > 0:55:15who are doing absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32So, Mr Deputy Speaker, I do have the following criticisms.
0:55:32 > 0:55:33The aims
0:55:33 > 0:55:36do not include an explicit aim of reducing,
0:55:36 > 0:55:41or ideally, eliminating premature deaths caused by drug use,
0:55:41 > 0:55:42and I would really like to see that
0:55:42 > 0:55:44front and centre of the drug strategy.
0:55:45 > 0:55:50The organisation The Loop showed me one of the huge life-saving benefits
0:55:50 > 0:55:54of being able to test drugs such as ecstasy in clubs and festivals,
0:55:54 > 0:55:59and I want that full protection of regulation, education, testing,
0:55:59 > 0:56:01and a licensing regime...
0:56:01 > 0:56:04There definitely are negative aspects to drug-taking.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08I've experienced them myself - along with the highs,
0:56:08 > 0:56:09there are definitely lows.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15But in the long run, if drugs were actually legalised and regulated,
0:56:15 > 0:56:18then it would be a hell of a lot safer for everyone involved.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22I want all honourable members to take a moment
0:56:22 > 0:56:27to be quite imaginative, and imagine the nature of the shops
0:56:27 > 0:56:29that there currently are - they already exist -
0:56:29 > 0:56:31for people to buy drugs if they wish to.
0:56:31 > 0:56:35But they are dangerous, they are illegal, they are unregulated,
0:56:35 > 0:56:37they are untaxed, they are unlicensed...
0:56:37 > 0:56:41I make a lot, lot, lot more than the average salary,
0:56:41 > 0:56:44like, a huge amount.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47I would be happy to make none if we could make it legal tomorrow.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53I'm not suggesting that we should jump straight away
0:56:53 > 0:56:55to full legalisation of all drugs.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59I'm simply raising the importance of considering whether and how
0:56:59 > 0:57:02to revise and review the legal framework for all drugs.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07# Shroom-picking Out here with my bro! #
0:57:09 > 0:57:12I'm not condoning drugs per se.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15I think that people need to make their own decisions,
0:57:15 > 0:57:18and I think that's the issue.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21Just having that black-and-white blanket rule around it,
0:57:21 > 0:57:22I think, is detrimental.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27How can something that's growing naturally be illegal?
0:57:29 > 0:57:31Oh, look at him, just all alone!
0:57:31 > 0:57:34Oh, he's such a little beaut. Ah!
0:57:36 > 0:57:37HE CHUCKLES
0:57:38 > 0:57:40Look toward the light, my son.
0:57:46 > 0:57:50It's a very complicated problem to try to wrestle with.
0:57:50 > 0:57:55The legal system we've got is not helping people to reduce their harm
0:57:55 > 0:57:57and to keep themselves safer.
0:57:58 > 0:58:03We could use the evidence that we've already got to construct legislation
0:58:03 > 0:58:06about drug use, drug misuse, drug treatment,
0:58:06 > 0:58:10to protect everybody from harmful drug use.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17For a free poster with information about drugs
0:58:17 > 0:58:23and their effects on society, call 0300 303 3554...
0:58:24 > 0:58:26..or go to the address below
0:58:26 > 0:58:28and follow the links for the Open University.