Free Talk Live

With American drug use levels essentially the same as — and levels of drug-related violence either the same as or lower than — those in countries like the Netherlands with liberal drug laws, public support for the War on Drugs appears to be faltering. This was most recently evidenced in the victory of major drug decriminalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington. Some misguided commentators go so far as to say the Drug War is “a failure.” Here, to set the record straight, are fifteen ways in which it is a resounding success.

"The apocalypse never happened" as some predicted when the country of Portugal decriminalized ALL illegal drugs eight years ago. The country did NOT become a haven for drug use, and drug abuse & drug crime actually FELL.

After 40 years, the United States' war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence even more brutal and widespread.
Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked.

"In the grand scheme, it has not been successful," Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. "Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified."

In 1970, the federal government listed pot to be more harmful than cocaine and meth. We now know that isn't true. That's not to say legalizing pot is without risks; it has been shown to impair concentration. But one study found alcohol was by far the most dangerous drug, followed by heroin and crack. Weed rated far down the list. So why do we continue to allow the Nixon administration's hatred of hippies to influence what we think about drug usage today? Nixon budgeted $100 million to fight what he called public enemy No. 1 -- illegal drugs. In 2010, it was $15 billion.

Report of the global commission on drugs says the global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world. It suggests to end the criminalization, marginalization and stigmatization of people who use drugs but who do no harm to others. Challenge rather than reinforce common misconceptions about drug markets, drug use and drug dependence.

Why is the War on Drugs lost? It reflects our failure to learn from history. Drug prohibition has all the characteristics of other well-intentioned, yet counterproductive, government programmes. Specifically, the drug war causes crime; it corrupts the police; it violates civil liberties; it throws good money after bad; and it weakens – even destroys – families, neighbourhoods, and communities.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has become the latest leader to condemn the now 40-year-old war on drugs. "The war on drugs, while well-intentioned, has been a failure," Christie said Monday during a speech at The Brookings Institution. "We're warehousing addicted people everyday in state prisons in New Jersey, giving them no treatment." Christie stressed the merits of legislation recently passed by New Jersey state lawmakers that institutes a year of mandatory treatment for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders instead of jail time.

End a Failed Drug War (and Boost Entrepreneurship?)

The global war on drugs is a failure, a high-profile commission funded by Richard Branson declares, as it calls for governments to consider decriminalizing some drugs. Could ending the decades-long battle be an opening for entrepreneurs?

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Bob Carr, is among a group of prominent Australians who have declared the ''war on drugs'' a failure in the most significant challenge to drug laws in decades.