After the War on Drugs

So what do we do about currently illegal drugs? Whenever I critique the failed war on drugs this is the question I am asked. Good question and it normally takes me 10 to 15 minutes to set out what a regulated market might look like. Fortunately the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union have produced this wonderful short film answering the question.



The report featured in the film 'After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation' can be dowloaded for free from Transform Drug Policy Foundation by clicking here

Declaration of Interest - I worked for Transform during 2007 and 2008.

Landmark book shows how to legalise drugs

After the war on drugs: Blueprint for Regulation from Transform on Vimeo.

There is growing recognition globally that the prohibition of drugs is a counterproductive failure. However, a major barrier to drug law reform has been fear of the unknown – what could a post-prohibition regime look like? In answering that question, Blueprint demonstrates that legally regulating drugs is not a step into the unknown, but a tried and tested approach to control drug production, supply and use.

The book is available as a freedown load here (7.7mb)

I strongly recommend it.

I received the e-mail below from one of last year's students. I haven't read the book but thought I would pass on his recommendation. In one of next term's seminars we will be debating drugs and this looks like a really useful resource

Hello John- just a quick message from the other side of the world for you- only
to say that I have just brought a book that I believe you could encourage your
students of next year to read regarding the topic area 'the war on drugs'. Its
called The Candy Machine by Tom Feiling. Despite only reading the first 15 pages
while sitting on the beach this morning I thought of you and last year and how
it would have helped me construct a good argument in last years final exam.
Check it out anyway and see what you think http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/05/candy-machine-tom-feiling-review