“One option is to decriminalise the taking of drugs by adults, converting it from a problem of crime into a problem, where it exists, of addiction. In 2000 Portugal did exactly that, leading to a decline in drug‑related crime.  Crimes committed under the influence of drugs fell, as did crimes undertaken to fund drug use.”

Well, I don't believe it. It is ridiculous to suggest that decriminalising drugs would suddenly stop the problem. People are going berserk on ice now; if they could buy it freely, they would stop going berserk?

The best example that decriminalising drugs is absolute rubbish is alcohol, the socially acceptable drug. Alcohol is responsible for domestic violence, crime and carnage on the roads. And it's all legal! Let's do the same with 'hard' drugs! It is certainly very 'surprising' that decriminalisation did not lead to increased drug taking, and also impossible to believe!

This whole article is whacky. “According to a 2010 report in the medical journal, the Lancet, a study....” found that alcohol was much more dangerous than other drugs. Seriously? Alcohol is more dangerous that ice and heroin?

Then “most of us accept that some people enjoy alcohol” and the claim that alcohol has “ has certain benefits”. It seems that some people enjoy ice, heroin and cocaine, so why don't we accept that, too? Incidentally, alcohol has no 'benefits' other than those to the people selling it. That phurphy was pure advertising bumf. Alcohol is the same brew that you can only put 10% of in a combustion engine, coloured and flavoured to make it palatable, sort of. The only reason alcohol is more dangerous than 'hard' drugs is that it is acceptable, and there are more people sucking on it.

Hi David, thank you for your thoughts. Prohibition (of alcohol) didn't work in the USA, in fact it made it possible for organised crime to establish itself.

Decriminalistion of cannabis would be a great step. This would separate cannabis from more harmful drugs: cannabis would become a medical problem while all other drugs would stay, for the time, criminal problems.

Sorry David, but I would believe that self serving government research about as much as I believe the garbage produced here to "prove" that generic labelling on cigarettes was successful in reducing smoking.

I am most not definitely not interested in the probable increase in drug driving that would go with making it easer & perhaps more acceptable to use drugs.

Yes David, we should decriminalize some drugs, and even allow their prescribed use, where all the available evidence shows they are indisputably more benign than still legal tobacco or alcohol, i.e., marijuana and heroin.

That said David, ice is not one of them! And ice addiction never ever ends with a good outcome! Families are all too often destroyed, along with every scrap of their wealth or treasure!

There is nothing of worth or so much as a single redeeming feature in the story of ice addiction. But as usual, we pour money at arresting addicts and small time retailers/ice labs, while the seemingly untouchable (hidden in plain sight) Mr Bigs of illegal narcotics, (attend church, donate [token gesture] very publicly to all manner of charity, like veritable pillars of society) parade their wealth!

Bling, luxury homes, yachts, planes and automobiles!

Addicts can never ever beat this evil on their own without help!

But need a period of enforced incarceration where they are cut off from all social media and interaction; and allowed to dry out and recover. God willing with their sanity retained or returned.

Drug addiction needs to be treated for what it is, a clear cut medical problem rather than a crime, which invariably exacerbates the problem, while costing the community many wasted billions!

There has to be a money trail David and where there is a will, able to be followed and completely confiscated and by whatever means necessary, even gunboat diplomacy! And redirected into decriminalized, but enforced unavoidable humane drug addiction treatment!
Alan B.

There are a lot of good arguments in favour of legalising marijuana.

This is the best one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK8fAUlqbow

I agree ICE is not just another drug. Once a user - it takes a only a few tries - it alters the body chemistry enough to make any other 'pleasure' uninteresting. It is a horror that can destroy society. As for 'cures', no forget it, one hooked the chance of getting off it is tiny. The solution for ICE - stop it reaching people. I suspect HUGE amounts are coming in from China and being stockpiled. Unfortunately, the focus of sales is in country towns that are being destroyed by this drug. The war on 'dope' in rural settings has pushed people into the destruction of ICE and potentially the destruction of whole communities ...one is reminded of what opium did to China in the 1800's. I've researched and written about this see https://www.academia.edu/12455230/Amphetamines_and_Meth_personal_and_Social_issues.

Quite how much evidence do we need?
Despite it being counter-intuitive to many, prohibition consistently fails, the War on Drugs has been lost, and those countries, states and counties that have decriminalized drugs (alongside mandatory counseling and so forth in some circumstances) have seen reduced addiction levels, criminal profits and related crime.
The trick is the hard slog of selling it politically.
Hats off to David for starting to make the case.

I agree with the contents of this article, but I think that the good Senator is wasting his political credit and energy on esoteric fringe issues, such as drugs and guns.

How about if, before ensuring that all bad people also get their deserved-or-undeserved freedoms, our good and only libertarian Senator changed his priorities and first fought to protect the freedoms of ordinary good people who harm no one and risk no one, so they are free to go about their lives without having to encounter the government and its restrictions round every corner?!

Decriminalising street drugs at least, is in the wings because this must happen before they can go cashless otherwise people would not be able to pay for them.

We can see this decriminalisation already starting through the mysterious recent discovery by the mainstream medicine of the medicinal beenfits of the happy weed plant. Something that most people who take responsbility for their own heath found out long ago.

The problem with drugs in our community, is the hypocrisy of those complaining about the problem.
It's always "other" bad people that do the "bad" things in life!

Hands up on this site, all who don't drink alcohol. 2% raise their hands. Hands up those that do not attend clubs and pubs. 10% my considered guess.

Drugs are acceptable in this culture, get over it!

Dear Dan,

«Hands up on this site, all who don't drink alcohol. 2% raise their hands. Hands up those that do not attend clubs and pubs. 10% my considered guess.»

My hand is up on both accounts.

«Drugs are acceptable in this culture, get over it!»

While the culture may be corrupt, drugs are unacceptable to me: I will not befriend people who take drugs, but neither should drugs be prohibited by law.

We're both on the same page. We have a legitimate rite to comment on this issue, since neither of us are addicted to alcohol. (And I'd assume you are not a "cone head" either, or is that a bad assumption).

Drugs should be illegal, all drugs, especially alcohol!
The alcohol industry should be criminalised, and anybody found distilling illegal alcohol, should be beheaded before the football game in the local sports ground. (I'm all in favour of increased immigration of Muslims, for their moral stand against alcohol, and other such anti social vices. Muslims are devout, as opposed to Christians. We can issue 457 visas for Muslim swords man to fill the role)!

And if this society wishes to deal with the ice problem, then Muslims should be permitted to lop the heads from a predetermined number if Chinese, randomly picked from our communities, before the same weekend football match, as we watch the ice problem evaporate. Violence works!

It always amazes me how many people think their personal, poorly-informed "I reckon" opinion is of more value than peer-reviewed published research.

The evidence is well and truly in - prohibition increases harms related to drug use; to individuals, communities and wider society.

Decriminalisation works as a strategy (both financially and socially) when funds previously going to law enforcement are shifted to treatment and other supports.

Professor David Nutt is not some government stooge producing dodgy research to back government policy - in fact he was sacked by the UK government for his repeated promotion of drug law reform based on the evidence (most hilariously in his letter published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology 2009, accurately pointing out that horse riding was more dangerous than taking ecstasy).

This is all fact - incontrovertible fact. You're "opinion" may be otherwise - but you're wrong.

You may hold a moral standpoint that all drug taking is wrong and that's fine - as long as you don't apply it to anyone but yourself.

<<Health Minister Hunt recently announced that some bureaucratic milestones towards accessible legal medical marijuana have been met.>>

Well that is wonderful!
How long did it take?
Well, Sheesh Sir, only seventy years, give or take.

This is the problem.
Vested interests, on all sides, would like things to stay, just the way they are; Thank you very much.
It is a funding bonanza, for all the departments, NGOs and media.
Crikey you can't kill it, we won't have jobs.
The money is here now, it keeps all the 'industries' around illegality, and legality, very well funded, and, morally justified!
No, it won't change, because the goal/game, isn't about change, it's about keeping, the situation, the same. Seventy years is a looonnng time.

Good article though, and, if you know your stuff, many don't, it is entirely believable, and can be backed by historic precedent, easily.
Well written, but it will go into the same round file, that all the other well meaning, well written, truthful, treatises go.

Nothing really changes, it simply can't.

Of course it is a good idea. The government could get a lot of money out of drugs, of course people have to be adults to buy them!