A Cease-fire in the War on Drugs?
Lede:
Alcohol and tobacco cause far more deaths worldwide than all illicit drugs combined. Jonathan Power argues that in order to minimize the harmful side effects of the "war on drugs," countries should legalize illicit substances and focus on strategies to reduce consumption.
By Jonathan Power
Not that long ago in Britain Sherlock Holmes could quite legally sit by the fire with his pipe and sniff cocaine. If friends wanted to join him they could, without fear of a police raid, smoke marijuana. Opium was used for those in unbearable pain and could be bought without a doctor’s prescription.