I had an editorial letter published in the Philadelphia Inquirer 30 years ago. I wrote that the war on drugs was a waste of money, and that we needed an alternative approach, treating illegal drugs more like we treat legal ones (cigarettes and alcohol). I have discovered since then that there are lots of people like me who have no interest in using illegal drugs, but who still find the US drug policy a terrible waste of money and lives.

So I was thrilled to learn that as of today, the state of Oregon has decriminalized the possession of small amounts of ALL illegal drugs. There is a small fine instead, and that is waved if the person agrees to a health assessment. I hope other states follow this approach.

Illinois is very likely to become the 11th state to have legal pot. But it is only the 2nd state to to do this through legislation. The only remaining step is for governor Pritzker to sign the bill. Since he campaigned on this issue his signature isn’t really in doubt. The law goes into affect

Canada becomes the second country in the world, and the first industrialized country to legalize recreational marijuana.  This may tip the hand of several US border states.   For instance, Michigan is considering legalization, probably since many residents already cross the border for Canadian strip clubs and the lower drinking age. And the image of a modern stable country embracing marijuana and not collapsing will undermine the arguments of the prohibitionists in the US.

A double blind study at Meir Medical Center in Israel found that smoking two joints a day had a significant impact on Crohn’s Disease symptoms, with roughly half of the patients taking the drug considered in complete remission (symptoms greatly reduced) during teh study. No significant side affects were reported. See the study at Pub Med for more details.

And yet the US Federal Government still won’t remove Marijuana from schedule 1 because there are supposedly no medical uses for Marijuana.

The District Attorney in Philadelphia has decided to drop criminal charges in 50+ cases that involve marijuana possession. They will no longer be prosecuting these cases.

Prohibitionists predicted the worst in 2000 when Portugal decided to decriminalize all drugs. Now the UN International Narcotics Control Board considers Portugal an example of how to do it right. Overdose deaths are down, HIV transmission is down, use hasn’t significantly increased. The key seems to be providing treatment to all who need it. I wonder how the cost of this plan compares to the cost of incarceration? Beyond the dollars, the social costs of the war on drugs are pretty steep.

According to an article in the NY Times, the Canadian Prime Minister will be introducing a law that legalizes marijuana in the entire country. While there are some details to be worked out, it appears that the Canadians want to avoid the craziness we have in the US where marijuana is legal in several states but is still illegal under federal law.

The only other country that has taken this step is Uruguay, but it is time for more countries to admit that prohibition doesn’t work.

It may not come up for a vote this year, but according to the Chicago Tribune,  Illinois lawmakers have introduced a bill that would legalize and tax marijuana. The logic is that “marijuana prohibition creates far more problems than it prevents.”  Plus, the plan might generate $350 million in new tax revenue.

I personally have no interest in using mind altering substances but I hate seeing tax money wasted on an ineffective prohibition. It funds organized crime, corrupts law enforcement and incarcerates thousands of non-violent citizens.

A supreme court justice,  Roberto Barroso, has called for the legalization of marijuana and possibly even cocaine, claiming that the war on drugs is just “repeating the same mistakes over and over again“.   Several Latin American countries have legalized marijuana but conservative Brazil seems to be heading the other way.