Friday, August 15, 2008

Open Thread Kingsley Guy: Drug policy has failed Is the push to legalize marijuana in Florida for medical use a legitimate attempt to eliminate pain and suffering, or a thinly-veiled effort by unreconstructed hippies to legally get high? I don't know, and frankly, don't care. It's time to shift the debate from side issues like medical marijuana, and instead look at decriminalizing all recreational drugs. The nation must face the fact that the war on drugs has been a dismal failure causing far more damage than it has mitigated, and it just isn't worth the price. So how's that drug war going? I haven't been talking about Mexico much recently. Too depressing Sound familiar? Transform: My conclusion - the Daily Mail is not responsible for closing down the debate on drugs and drug policy [^] politicians are. It is their cowardice, opportunism and careerism that they prioritise over telling the truth about the failure of prohibition and the need bring the drugs trade within the law and the ambit of state regulation. And that applies not just to Labour and the Conservatives. The Lib Dems have hidden their far more enlightened drug policy so deep as to render it effectively invisible, for (misplaced) fear of taking flak from political opponents. Dildos and the Ninth Amendment by Ed Brayton, guest blogging at The Agitator. Definitely relevant to drug policy. The Phoenix gives us their 16 greatest stoner movies Daniel McQuade has an amusing take-down of the 'digital drugs' scare nonsense. Norm Stamper on the high costs of the drug war 8:43:28 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []