Global war on drugs a failure, says commission

A HIGH-LEVEL international commission declared the global “war on drugs” a failure and urged nations to consider legalising cannabis and other drugs to undermine organised crime and protect their citizens’ health.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy called for a new approach to reducing drug abuse to replace the current strategy of strictly criminalising drugs and incarcerating drug users while battling criminal cartels that control the drug trade.

“The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world,” said the report issued by the commission yesterday.