There and back again

"We've just got to pop round to my mates and then come back is that okay driver"

His 'mate's' is usually only a few streets away, It's rarely anything over a mile.
The conversation in the back is typical, open and never whispered.

"Have you got the money cos it's fifty and don't forget Davey wants one as well did he give you his?"

"Okay Drive, just on this corner I'll only be a minute"

We're usually a good few yards down the road and the punter scuttles up the road and is back quicker than Usain Bolt could have managed.

"Okay drive, back home please"

I drop them back at the original pick up point, job done and more often than not a reasonable tip. Quite often they wont even ask you the fare but just hand over a note that more than covers it with an "Is that okay"

By now you will have realised that we are not picking up a DVD or some Asprin for that headache that he just can't shift what we are discussing are class A substances.
A scene such as this is common place and for me most nights of the week. Now I'm not unusual and I'm one of thousands of drivers in this town alone, most of the others probably get a similar amount of the same type of fares, possibly less for the day drivers but the trade goes on 24/7 so maybe not.
You can do the maths yourself for the amount of customers and trade that this represents but also consider that the supply as I mentioned is rarely more than a mile away.
Anyone who tells you that the government and police are winning the war against drugs is seriously deluded it is so commonplace and open as to raise little more comment than nipping into the all night Offy for a 6 pack or the garage for a pack of fags. I have had fares counting their stash next to me, doing a line and offering me a free hit whilst on the journey.

Somebody somewhere needs to bite the bullet and consider what it is we as a country are throwing our money at trying to prevent this. If somebody wants to get high they are going to find a way and nothing that those in authority do is going to stop that. If someone wants to sniff, swallow or smoke something I really have no problem with that and the vast majority of these passengers are normal folk who will either the next day or after the weekend be fixing your dripping tap or scanning your Cornflakes in Tescos.
For me I'd suggest legalisation and transfer some really heavy penalties onto the consequences of any actions affected as a result of taking the stuff but as you seem to be able to kill someone whilst drunk driving and get away with minimal jail time and a ban that at least part of is served whilst in one of HM's hotels I don't hold out much hope.

Do me one favour though. If it's Weed that your on at least change your coat before you leave the house because I can smell you from the length of the front garden. No doubt the police can as well but would you put yourself in for 4 hours of paperwork just to get someone a "Naughty boy, don't do it again"?
No, neither would I.

I seem to have come over all George Dixon today.
Mind how you go.