We are losing the war on drugs and policy should be stood on its head

DURING a series of radio interviews this week, Gerry Cameron, a former American police chief, described the current war on drugs as a complete failure.

He knows what he is talking about, having spent 17 years in drug enforcement.

“We’ll spend $69 billion in the United States this year,” he said. “We’ll arrest over a million and a half people for drugs this year in the United States. Little over half of that will be for marijuana and approximately 80% of that will be charged with simple possession. We’ve got tremendous police resources being diverted to put people in the penitentiary that have never done a violent act towards any person or their property.”