The War On Drugs Is A Failure -- Wall Street JournalWe should focus instead on reducing harm to users and on tackling organized crime.
The war on drugs has failed. And it's high time to replace an ineffective strategy with more humane and efficient drug policies. This is the central message of the report by the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy we presented to the public recently in Rio de Janeiro.
Prohibitionist policies based on eradication, interdiction and criminalization of consumption simply haven't worked. Violence and the organized crime associated with the narcotics trade remain critical problems in our countries. Latin America remains the world's largest exporter of cocaine and cannabis, and is fast becoming a major supplier of opium and heroin. Today, we are further than ever from the goal of eradicating drugs.
Read more ....
My Comment: Thousands dead. Millions who have been or are serving jail sentences. Millions of families ruined. Billions of dollars going to terrorists/guerrillas/organized crime syndicates.
And the drug problem and drug war is getting worse.
A century ago hard drugs were legal in the U.S.. It caused enormous social problems .... and is one of the reasons why such drugs were banned. But as much as that was a problem at that time .... today's crisis pales in comparison.