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RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy
Manifesto Challenge: Fostering Resilient Communities This project fits under the fourth of the RSA's manifesto challenges - 'fostering resilient communities' - and will investigate, among other things, the practical impact of current drugs policy on communities. The commission is looking for answers to two questions: (1) If current policy and practice on illegal drugs are
not working, why not? To read an article about the Commission by Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor, Daily Telegraph, from the August issue of RSA Journal, please click here.
The commission's chairman is Anthony King, Professor of British Government at Essex University, and a founder member of the Nolan Commission on Standards in Public Life. The project's RSA champion is Stephen O'Brien, Chief Executive of London First and Chair of Tower Hamlets NHS Trust. The remaining members are drawn from all walks of life - from those involved in the policing and treatment of drug abuse, but also from business, local government, health and social services, parliament, the professions and academia. The members of the RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy are: Susan Deacon, MSP and former Scottish Health Minister
There are several areas in which the Commission might have a distinctive contribution to make - for example:
More details about the project can be found on the RSA's website at: Alternatively, please contact the Project Director, Susie Harries, at the RSA at 8 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6EZ or by telephone on +44 (0)20 7451 6879 or email at susie.harries@rsa.org.uk How you can help To find out how you can contribute to the fundraising programme for this project please call Susie Harries at the RSA on +44 (0)20 7451 6879 or email on susie.harries@rsa.org.uk
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The RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy was set up in January 2005 to examine all aspects of the relationship between public policy and the use and abuse of illegal drugs. 
As a wholly independent body, the commission will make recommendations and enter into discussions with interested parties and current stakeholders, including the Government, on how its recommendations might be implemented. 
The commission is not in any way a party political body, although its members include two MPs and one MSP. Its members are, without exception, committed to working pragmatically, without preconceptions or prejudices. The commission will explore a wide range of issues across the whole field of 'the drugs problem'. The drugs debate has tended to be polarised between proponents of the criminal justice approach and the public health approach and to have been heavily politicised. The RSA offers a neutral arena for a broader and more holistic discussion, with the capacity to pull together an unusually wide range of viewpoints. The RSA is also well placed to conduct a highly visible debate, using its existing profile and drawing on its influential 25,000-strong Fellowship.
The commission welcomes contributions from the widest possible range of perspectives.