Ending The War On Drugs

The case against prohibition-focused drug laws runs through an essay collection credited to Richard Branson and tied to the work of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Its contributors argue that half a century of bans has handed the drug market to organized crime while illegal drug use has hit a record high. They cite more than 100,000 deaths from drug-war violence in Mexico over nine years and roughly $100 billion spent each year on enforcement around the world. Harm reduction sits at the center of their proposals. Former presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Nigeria and Switzerland write alongside philanthropist George Soros, Columbia professor Carl Hart and former Prague mayor Pavel Bem.