The Commissioner's column with Alison Hernandez

In recent years there has been what I think is an unhealthy and dangerous narrative that certain drugs are harmless.

“The only cannabis that can kill you is a ton falling on your head” said one Facebook user in response to a police story about that drug.

Some medical experts are really challenging the ‘cannabis is harmless’ argument. Several studies have linked marijuana use to increased risk for psychiatric disorders, including psychosis (schizophrenia), depression and anxiety.

While it might not kill directly or quickly, cannabis induced mental illness has been cited in a contributory factor in numerous murder and manslaughter cases. A high-profile piece of work by Cambridge University in 2016 concluded that regular cannabis users are more violent than non-users.

Cocaine is another drug that has been shown to make its users more aggressive in studies including one published by the International Journal of Drug Policy last year.

It would be nice to think that in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly that we are less affected by drug misuse than other parts of England and Wales. The sad fact is though, cannabis and cocaine use are as prevalent here as they are in the rest of the country.

The effect on users’ mental health can be devastating and the consequences tragic. Cannabis was said to have played a part in the mental state of the killer of three men in Exeter in 2019 and in the manslaughter of a woman by her cannabis using boyfriend in November.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned of the affects of this drug in worsening people’s mental health, and says the effects are more significant on young developing brains.

The harm drugs cause to their users and those around them is one reason I oppose the decriminalisation of drugs that some policymakers are in support of.

But it is not just users whose lives are destroyed by drugs. The trade involves multi-national, organised gangs who are ruthless in their pursuit of profits. From the growing of coca leaves in Latin America to exploited Vietnamese immigrants who are employed as ‘gardeners’ for cannabis grows in British homes, the drugs trade supports a supply chain pervaded by violence.

If we needed further proof of this we should look no further than the gangs who control drug supply in major cities and who are linked to the tragic death of Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool last week.

And drug users in Devon and Cornwall should consider the strong links between Liverpool dealers and illicit substances traded here.

The good news for our communities is that co-operation between our police and Merseyside’s force is stronger than ever.

A couple of years ago five dealers in the Liverpool-based Manc Joey gang were placed behind bars for their part in bringing £300,000 of heroin and crack cocaine to Exeter.

The operation saw teenagers paid up to £1,000 a trip to ferry drugs to the Westcountry. The exploitation of teenagers by those controlling the gang was deemed so severe that two dealers were categorised as modern slaves by the authorities.

But their movements were being tracked by police who intercepted them on the M5 with 1,080 wraps of drugs.

The judge in the case told them the gang were ruthless in their pursuit of profits and happy to exploit vulnerable young people.

Devon and Cornwall Police is working closely with Merseyside Police’s County Lines taskforce, a well-funded team of experts whose operations in South Devon and Plymouth this year have resulted in more than 80 arrests. More operations are in the pipeline that will take drugs, weapons and dealers out of our communities.

I am also working with police and crime commissioners and forces across the South West to send the message that our part of the world is no place for drugs.

I would ask all those who use recreational drugs to consider the consequences of their action. Every line of cocaine snorted is helping to fund the lavish lifestyles of some of the worst people in society. Our communities won’t stand for it and neither will I.