Eddie Ellison now resides in Devon, South West England, writing and presenting on a variety of policing and drug policy topics.

He had a thirty year detective career with the Metropolitan Police (London) with the majority of time spent working from New Scotland Yard. He retired in 1993 as the Detective Chief Superintendent heading the Crime Policy Unit of Specialist Operations Department.

Today’s police service has come a long way in recognising that many agencies can jointly contribute to reduce society’s ills. The days of "Give us the resources, we can do anything!" are now passed into history.

My 1974 attempts to officially provide a reference to ‘Release’ whilst serving as a Detective Sergeant on the Yard’s Drug Squad, resulted in an end-of-year appraisal suggesting ".... he will have difficulties differentiating between his idealism and his work."

By 1985 a Superintendent's selection board response to my defence of the legalisation of cannabis drew feedback "He was frank but tended to be indiscreet on one or two occasions."

I’m very proud that, whereas the government has rigourously discouraged an open debate about any alternatives, the UK police service held its first national drug policing policy debate in 1993 and this has evolved into an annual meeting. The service has been credited with compassionately responding to gradual social acceptance of some drug use by cautioning procedures and has provided the first National Anti Drugs Co-Ordinator. In conjunction with Social Services there has been a rapid expansion of arrest referal schemes aimed at reducing demand and countering addiction

For my own part the Criminal Investigation Department career challenged twenty-three of my thirty years police service, culminating as Detective Chief Superintendent of the Crime Policy Unit of Specialist Operations Department of the Metropolitan Police.

Traditional investigation work took place across Greater London at Southwark (Detective Constable), Peckham (Detective Constable), Brixton (Detective Sergeat), Orpington (Detective Inspector), Sutton (Detective Inspector), Harrow Road (A/Detectve Chief Inspector), and Paddington (Detective Chief Inspector).

Between these deep breaths of normality were the Scotland Yard Central Squads of Illegal Immigration and Extradition, the Reserve Squad (known the world over as The Murder Squad) for a total of three years and The Central Drug Squad for a total of seven years over two periods. Whilst on the Murder Squad I had the joint privilege of finally providing an answer to the controversial murder of Maxwell Confait in South East London which had previously eluded every level of UK investigation and judicial review. In due course it provided the interview guidelines enshrined in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and served to finally prove the innocence of the three youths originally convicted of the killing.

1972 to 1974 presented the challenge of drug importation at London Heathrow Airport with H M Customs and Excise officers, 1974 and 1975 were spent on London’s streets seeking major suppliers of drugs (mainly bulk cannabis), and from 1984 to 1986 I was the Operational Head of the teams. By that time the world had changed and heroin and cocaine were arriving in the quantities previously seen only in the cannabis field.

Joined by the head of the then UK National Drugs Intelligence Unit, I represented the United Kingdom in Amsterdam when agreement was sought between European countries in the selection, training and support of undercover officers. That conference gave rise to the standardised training and support now given within the UK.

During my period as operational head of the Drug Squad I was awarded the UK Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal by the then Commissioner, Sir Kenneth Newman.

Technology invaded the police service and from late 1986 to 1989, prepared by IT courses at the Civil Service College, I worked in a team struggling to provide a User Requirement for the largest IT implementation confronted by the Metropolitan Police, the Crime Report Information System (CRIS).

In late 1989 I headed an Efficiency Scrutiny, whilst on attachment to H M Government's Cabinet Office Efficiency Unit, examining the organisational mis-use of police officers ('Abstractions from Duty'). A variety of the recommendations were implemented over the succeeding five years, rendering additional officers available for operational deployment

I was then seconded to the small team that in 1990 and 1991 , on behalf of the Crime Committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers, reviewed the deployments of the Regional Crimes Squads and the Drug Wings. The research results provided the justification for the National Criminal Intelligence Service and, later, the National Crime Squad.

To avoid a flood of E-mails I should also admit being the detective who didn’t bring the Great Train Robber, Ronnie Biggs, back from Barbados, led the first London covert operation where the bad guys stole a large sum of money from the police (yes, I did get it back but it was a long twenty minutes!) and got disqualified for jointly entering a cannabis plant in the Scotland Yard Horticultural Society Show, category ‘Single Pot Plant’ - the judge insisted it was a vegetable!

Whilst serving in the field of controlled drugs I recognised the futility of relying solely on prohibition to lessen the effects of drug abuse on the community.

When a 'Crime Manager' has the daily drug arrests on one side of his desk and the daily crime reports on the other he is forced to examine ways in which BOTH can be addressed. Today's policies counter drug abuse by an attempt at deterrence but that policy provides financial motivation for the commission of at least half the other crimes. The victims of drug abuse, those victims of crime committed to fund abuse, outnumber the actual addicts by ten to one.

On retirement I embarked on efforts to publicise the benefits of a change of policy to legalisation with articles published in national newspapers and a variety of magazines. Few, if any, UK police officers, serving or retired, can match the totality of my operational, leadership and organisational policing experience in the UK drug field. I considers myself a professional witness as to the inherent failings of prohibition.

On retirement I was invited to become a trustee, and treasurer for a period, of the Drug Charity ‘RELEASE’. I am a patron and supporter of the lobby group ‘TRANSFORM’.

My presentations to a variety of audiences, including a host of Rotary Clubs, national television debates, nationally networked independent TV films on the subject of drugs and smuggling, Party Political Conferences and radio debates have been recognised as presenting legalisation as an alternative policy without encouraging or approving of any drug use.

A presentation, ‘Drugs and the Detective’, filmed by the BBC South East Region (First Sight) received national acclaim and networking as highlighting the qualities of regionally developed programmes. When the national Channel 5 TV presented an evening’s live debate on legalisation of pot, I was invited to present the case for change.

I have been involved in live presentations with politicians, health workers and religious leaders. I have presented the case for legalisation on, amongst others, the David Frost Show, Kilroy, Open House, Newsnight and have twice appeared on the BBC current affairs flagship programme, Panorama. My articles feature on DRC Net’s ‘Cops Against the Drug War’ and I have been commissioned to write on legalisation for national newspapers.

Although it was unusual for a senior police officer to argue against existing government policy in 1993 such debate is now more common. Alternative policies are supported by a variety of current senior officers and local police authorities who recognise the dangers of continuing to rely solely on prohibition. Government and policing policy is similarly evolving in a ‘harm reduction’ direction as opposed to the previously hard line, and futile, singular approach.

In 2001 I addressed the national Annual Conference of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance identifying that the police service has always been ahead of the legislators in the consideration of alternative approaches to drug mis-use. I similarly addressed the national Conference of the United Kingdom Harm Reduction Alliance making clear the failings of prohibition.

In 2002 the United Kingdom Government’s Home Affairs Select Committee examined the effectiveness of the Government’s Drug Policy. This provided the impetus for the various individuals and organisations involved in the United Kingdom legalisation debate to co-operate and produce an agreed policy objective.

I was invited to contribute to this group exercise which included United Kingdom harm reduction proponents, civil liberty lobbyists, health service professionals, lawyers and social service specialists. The outcome was the ‘Angel Declaration’, praised and welcomed by the Select Committee. The Committee contrasted the progressive efforts of this group with the admitted lack of research into any alternative policies by the Home Office and the National Drug Co-Ordinator.

Within months Government policies moved towards a greater concentration on harm reduction, a reduced priority and lower classification of cannabis possession, abandonment of some of the traditional performance indicators and the movement of resources towards education, referal and treatment as opposed to prosecution.

I clearly recognise that the existing government drug policies of the United States of America, and their international repercussions, are probably the major obstacle to the progressive evolution of Europe’s compassionate, supportive and educational approach. This situation has provided the impetus to join my efforts with those of enlightened American Law Enforcement Officers who oppose prohibition LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition).

To end where I started, there is never any difficulty being idealistic and being a police officer, indeed the two are complementary. A total realist would never retain the enthusiasm, the belief and the sense of satisfaction ....when it works....

The knowledge behind my beliefs may have come from my professional background, but much of my motivation and committment to ensure a better future comes from the responsibilities of being a father.