Sensible people agree that it is generally pointless and oppressive to prosecute people who use hard drugs even though this is a serious criminal offence under our law. And I agree, but we might also agree that those people, in return for leniency, owe something back to us about preventing criminality.
But, anyway, what is your view about those who supply hard drugs?
I think most people agree that we should actively pursue and prosecute people who supply illegal drugs because they destroy lives and are a major cause of problems for our society.
We know that those who supply hard drugs are committing very serious criminal offences. More than that, most people agree that drugs are a major component in serious crime in the UK and are behind many major robberies and thefts.
So, if somebody admits to using hard drugs, the smart - no, expected, surely - thing for the police to do is to pursue vigorously the people who supplied them.
But, if the users of the drugs will not cooperate then the police might reasonably consider whether to prosecute the user because they won't help?
Nigella Lawson has said that she has used hard drugs, and it would be disproportionate to prosecute her - but she must of course now supply to the police the details of those from whom she received the drugs. Nothing less would be acceptable to decent people trying to uphold the law.
