Our First Campaign

If we want citizens to participate in the democratic life of the country, beyond symbolic votes every 5 years, we should be using citizens' assemblies more widely. Dozens have taken place in the UK in recent years, but they receive little publicity and even less credence from governments, which seem to view them as a way to distract citizens rather than to empower them.

In other countries, citizens' assemblies have gained recognition as a powerful tool for democratic decision-making, allowing for a more inclusive and deliberative approach to governance. We are joining the many voices calling for them to be used in the UK, and we have a specific topic in mind that will demonstrate their power.

The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 has been described as one of the country's worst pieces of legislation. Every government reviews it, and the reviews all say the same thing... the law is not fit for purpose and should be revised. Every government then doubles down on the folly of their predecessors, terrified of the reaction from the media that taking a position on the issue would provoke.

Our gift to the government

We believe the citizens of the country should decide what a Misuse of Drugs Act that is fit for the next fifty years should look like. One that reflects the evidence of drug harm and actually protects people rather than needlessly criminalising them based on a misplaced social agenda from half a century ago. Join us in pressing the government to free them and us from this intolerable, damaging legislation.