The war on drugs isn't working, say the organisers of an event being held in Weymouth town centre.

Tomorrow morning (25), a group called 'Health Not Harm' will be handing out information near NatWest bank to support a lobby for drugs to be legally regulated.

The idea is that by controlling substances in the same way as prescription drugs, the power will be taken away from drug dealers and gangs, and instead given to the government and healthcare professionals.

Three charities are travelling to London on June 25 to lobby parliament for reform. They are Transform, LEAP and Anyone's Child.

Weymouth's Health Not Harm group is supporting them from the home front by holding a stall in the town centre. Organisers said they want to share the word with local residents.

Health NOT Harm is described as a cross-party, multi-agency coalition campaigning to reform drug laws and improve health outcomes for drug users in Weymouth and Portland.

Giovanna Lewis - a Portland town councillor and member of the Health Not Harm group - said: "Our current system of dealing with illegal drugs is not working.

"Drug use keeps increasing - and so do the problems for vulnerable people, their families, and society as a whole.

"We believe the power should be taken away from organised criminals who currently run the drugs market, and instead given to government and doctors - with a measured and strategic step-by-step approach.

"We already have a safe and regulated system for dealing with prescription and legal drugs, so why not use this for illegal drugs too?"

As well as campaigning for changes in the law, the group also wants to see drug consumption rooms being used in the UK. They are widely used in other areas such as the Netherlands, and have led to a significant reduction in street dealing as well as a decrease in drugs being injected, according to research by the European Network for Social Inclusion and Health.

The group is also in favour of initiatives such as The Loop, which provides free drug testing to reduce harm, and the SafeBus service in Bournemouth, which provides care for those why may find themselves at risk on weekend nights in the town.

More information is available via the Facebook page 'Health Not Harm - Campaigning for Drug Reform'. See also anyoneschild.org and transformdrugs.org and ukleap.org