The Argument For Legalizing Drugs

I was perusing the pages of Cato.org the other day, and I found one of their daily podcasts really interesting. It's an interview with author Glenn Greenwald, about his book “Drug Decriminalization in Portugal.” In 2000, Portugal decriminalized the possession of illicit drugs. Not surprisingly, they've had some impressive results. If the “war on drugs” in the US has you occasionally scratching your head as to why:

1. Drugs are more available today in quantity and variety than ever before.

2. Drugs are more expensive today than they have ever been.

3. There is more drug-related violence in Mexico and the US than there has ever been.

4. Drugs are now more potent than ever.

5. We spend billions of taxpayer dollars, with so little success in stemming the drug flow.

6. And the US makes up less than 5% of the world's population, but has 25% of the world's prisoners.

then you might be interested in this podcast. It takes about eleven minutes.