“As acclaimed filmmaker Eugene Jarecki’s latest video shows, the war on drugs has failed in every way possible. Trying to wage the War On Drugs has cost the US $1 trillion, with another $51 billion added to the tally each year. This has resulted in 45 million drug-related arrests, with the US now jailing 2.3 million prisoners – more people than anyone else on the planet. What has all this accomplished? Rates of addiction remain unchanged, overdose deaths are at an all-time high and drugs cost less than ever before.
“While attitudes and opinions on drug reform are dramatically shifting in the US and across the world, more needs to be done. I echo Eugene’s call for US citizens to urge Congress to advance the Smarter Sentencing Act. This could help put an end to racial profiling, mass incarceration, shattered communities, and failed policy. The Smarter Sentencing Act will save the US billions of dollars, which could be spent on helping people overcome drug dependencies. It will also ease dangerous overcrowding in prisons by reducing sentences for non-violent drug offenders.
“Every day, more people agree the war on drugs has failed and must change. As the Global Commission on Drug Policy has highlighted, and campaigns like Breaking The Taboo have illustrated, it’s time for the rest of the world to learn from the likes of Portugal and Uruguay, and the brave steps they have taken to treat drugs as a health problem.
“Politicians must listen to the people who, as Global Commission on Drug Policy research has shown, want them to find a new way. When we visited Ironwood State Prison in California recently, it was clear that everyone from the prisoners to the guards, the families to the legislators, believe the way drug problems are treated has to change.”
Talking of Portugal, the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Ireland is bringing the Portuguese government adviser on drugs to Ireland in September for public seminars in Dublin, Galway and Cork where he’ll share a platform with other Irish drug policy reformers and activists.
An ex-Health Minister, Dr. João Goulão was instrumental in decriminalising drugs in Portugal 14-years ago. It would be fantastic to see him debating with our own Health Minister while he's here, but we suspect that Alex White will as usual keep his head firmly beneath the parapet.