ROCK superstar Sting has called on the Government to decriminalise possession of all drugs.

The Wallsend-born singer has signed an open letter to David Cameron calling for “a swift and transparent review of the effectiveness of current drug policies”.

The musician supported calls for “the immediate decriminalisation of drug possession” if a review found current policies lacking.

The former Police singer, 59, said that the Prime Minister should take the controversial step as a move towards rethinking the country’s drug problem.

Sting said: “Giving young people criminal records for minor drug possession serves little purpose. It is time to think of more imaginative ways of addressing drug use in our society.”

The open letter, also signed by Dame Judi Dench, Julie Christie, former defence secretary Bob Ainsworth, actress Kathy Burke and three former police chiefs, among others, comes as the Global Commission on Drug Policy said the war on drugs has failed.

Commission member Sir Richard Branson also called for an urgent review of drug policy, saying a new approach “that takes the power out of the hands of organised crime” was needed.

Regulation and decriminalisation have been shown to work, he said.