The war on drugs and the shameful silence of our politicians

Must we rely on big business, not our leaders, to pave the way when it comes to tackling a narcotics industry that is ravaging Latin America?
Editorial
The Observer (UK)
Sunday, November 13, 2011

In a parliamentary debate in the House of Commons, David Cameron said: "I ask the Labour government not to return to retribution and war on drugs. That has been tried and we all know that it does not work." That was in December 2002. And as a member of the home affairs select committee on drug misuse, Cameron supported the following recommendation: "That the government initiates a discussion within the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of alternative ways – including the possibility of legalisation and regulation – to tackle the global drugs dilemma."