I recently posted that we should stop the “war” on drugs1, and it looks like both countries that border the USA may be doing so sooner rather than later. In Canada, we just elected a Liberal government who has promised to fully legalize and regulate marijuana, while Mexico has also taken a big step towards legalizing marijuana:
Mexico’s supreme court today ruled that some parts of the country’s health law are not valid, and that growing, possessing, or using marijuana for recreational purposes is perfectly legal under existing Mexican law…
The decision reflects a changing dynamic in Mexico, where for decades the American-backed war on drugs has produced much upheaval but few lasting victories. Today, the flow of drugs to the United States continues, along with the political corruption it fuels in Mexico. The country, dispirited by the ceaseless fight with traffickers, remains engulfed in violence.
I can’t point to a single entity that has won anything in the war on drugs other than criminals, drug cartels, racists, and/or maintainers of the status quo.
- I will take every opportunity to note that anything with the formulation “The War on ____” is bullshit. ↩
3 responses to “The War on Drugs is Losing”
Becky G liked this on Facebook.
It’s like we learned nothing from Prohibition.
When you declare war on something you just create something worse in its place.