A bitter pill

I have been a defence lawyer for more than 25 years. I have defended clients charged with almost every crime there is. I have argued against convictions for robbery, rape, sexual assault, murder, manslaughter, copyright theft, perverting the course of justice, perjury, serious fraud, international illegal fishing, money laundering, causing death by dangerous driving, grievous bodily harm, blackmail… and the list goes on.

Of all the crimes and misdemeanours I have seen, all the improbable tales and shocking lies in the witness box, what sticks with me most about the criminal justice system is the utter simplicity of the one thing that lies behind almost all of it. People want to take drugs and nothing will stop them. Some people take lots of drugs all the time, others take a few drugs some of the time, and of course some never take any at all (or at least will not admit it), or just stick to drugs which are legal.

They say that you are never more than a few feet from the nearest rat. You are equally close to the nearest dealer, whether you are a banker, living on the streets, or walking the halls of Westminster between Brexit votes. This is no surprise given the bountiful supply. Skunk cannabis is now grown in converted buildings all around Britain. Crops are harvested and rotated to maximise yield. It is so easy to find and so cheap to buy, it may as well be in vending machines in pub toilets.

Cocaine is concealed in ever more ingenious ways, to make the sea voyage from South America to the ports of Europe, or the air voyage in the stomachs of mules. At the end, it will be delivered in convenient small packages, to home, office or party.