DRUGS!

Now that I have your attention, a recent report from the Global Commission on Drug Policy says that the global "War on Drugs" has backfired, driving usage rates of drugs up and forcing the creation of an underground drug trade similar to the alcohol black market which developed in the United States during prohibition.

The results of the report suggest that a dramatic rethinking of drug policy needs to take place, and that measures such as the legalization of cannabis (marijuana) should be considered, and that states should even look into measures such as treating drug use as a public health concern rather than a crime, as nations like Portugal have attempted.

What do you think of this report?  Has the War on Drugs failed, or is something else to blame for the increase in drug usage and cartel-related violence?  What can countries like the United States do to decrease drug use, or is the problem itself overblown and should just be ignored?

Let's hear it!

Follow @zstickney