let's speak to professor david nutt, former head of the uk advisory council on the misuse of drugs.copenhagen via skype. is that your conclusion as well, that these issues should be dealt with as medical rather than criminal matters? >> i think any sensible person came to that conclusion 50 years ago, but now we have the evidence in a sense of proof that a health-based approach is actually the right way. not only for the people who use drugs, but also society because it reduces costs, reduces crime. and it gives people their lives back rather than give them criminal records. >> would this also stop what many scientists consider gateway drugs? for example, extra strong cannabis and things like that which can lead -- or it's thought could lead to class a drugs, much more serious drugs? >> absolutely. that was why the dutch brought in 30 years ago coffee shops for cannab cannabis. they wanted people to have access without having to go to dealers. it worked. much lower updates of those hard drugs than we have in uk. when you put a drug underground and criminalize users, it creates a bla