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Like many of my peers, I believe that the so-called “War on Drugs” that the United States along with many other countries is engaged in, is ridiculous. It has produced no tangible results after decades of enforcement and trillions of dollars spent. Yet it continues, despite the fact that other approaches have been demonstrated to produce impressive results. From an article covering the International AIDS Conference:

“Dr. Evan Wood, an AIDS policy expert at the University of British Columbia and the chief author, cited Portugal’s approach. According to a 2009 report by the libertarian Cato Institute, in the decade since Portugal legalized possession of up to 10 day’s worth of any drug, including cocaine and heroin, its AIDS rate dropped by half, overdose deaths fell, many citizens sought treatment, drug use among young people fell and drug tourism did not develop. The institute called it “a resounding success.””

I dream of a time when the governments of the world will make policy decisions based on evidence and science instead of ideologies.