We Already Know Dept.: Global Drug War is a Failure
“The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world.”
Thus begins the June 2011 report by the Global Commission on Drugs — an international body whose charge is to reduce societal and individual harm caused by drugs using science-based methods. The commission, whose members include the former president of Mexico and the previous UN secretary general, recommends in this internationally focused report that societies such as the United States “[b]egin the transformation of the global drug prohibition regime.”
It notes that “vast expenditures on criminalization and repressive measures directed at producers, traffickers and consumers of illegal drugs have clearly failed to effectively curtail supply or consumption,” and it suggests that in established drug markets, law enforcement attempts to reduce the supply of drugs are largely futile.
The full report contains 11 recommendations, which will hopefully be considered by policy makers around the globe.
Read more about the commission online.