Legal Commentary

UK Former Defense Minister Urges Legalization of Drugs

By Jeralyn

Prohibition was a failure. The War on Drugs is a failure. Maybe it's time to try a new approach.

Former UK Defense Minister Bob Ainsworth says it's time to legalize drugs. The methods of the past, including prohibition, don't work. They fail to keep the public safe.

The war on drugs has been "nothing short of a disaster" and it is time to study other options, including decriminalising possession of drugs and legally regulating their production and supply. "We must take the trade away from organised criminals and hand it to the control of doctors and pharmacists."

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Now free to speak his mind, Ainsworth says:

"My experience as defence secretary, with specific responsibilities in Afghanistan, showed to me that the war on drugs creates the very conditions that perpetuate the illegal trade, while undermining international development and security.

"My departure from the front benches gives me the freedom to express my long-held view that, whilst it was put in place with the best of intentions, the war on drugs has been nothing short of a disaster."

Full post as published by TalkLeft on December 16, 2010 (boomark / email).