A decade or so ago, it could be argued that the evidence was not
yet in on drugs. No one has ever believed illegal drug use could
be eliminated, but there was a defensible view that prohibition
could prevent more harm than it caused. Drug use is not a
private act without consequences for others; even when legal, it
incurs medical and other costs to society. A society that
adopted an attitude of laissez-faire towards the drug habits of
its citizens could find itself with higher numbers of users.
There could be a risk of social abandonment, with those in poor
communities being left to their fates. These dangers have not
disappeared, but the fact is that the costs of drug prohibition
now far outweigh any possible benefits the policy may bring. It
is time for a radical shift in policy. Full-scale legalisation,
with the state intervening chiefly to regulate quality and
provide education on the risks of drug use and care for those
who have problems with the drugs they use, should now shape the
agenda of drug law re