Peter Paget, MP., has the chance of his life: he introduces a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament to legalize all drugs. His main arguments: The war on drugs is lost anyway. In order to help addicted people you have first to decriminalise them. The money made from drugs should go to the state via taxes rather than illegal drug dealers.
Drug related crimes (theft, violence, prostitution) would disappear. This does not mean that Ben Elton speaks for the use of drugs, in fact he makes clear that he advises strongly against it. He shows us very vividly possible down sides of drug abuse with many well described characters. 1. Tommy Hanson, alcoholic, multiple drug addict and pop star, 2. Sonia, teenager, caught in Thailand smuggling drugs, 3. Jessie, crack whore, 4. Billy (10) and Kylie (9), dead after an overdose of their sister’s ecstacy they took to be candy, 5. Emily, a Lord’s daughter and multiple drug addict with bulimia and, and, and...
Despite its serious topic the book is very funny (one laugh at every page) and a compulsive read.