Never Legalize Drugs

Antonio Costa, executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, says there is universal agreement that illicit drugs harm individuals and society: “The debate between those who dream of a world free of drugs and those who hope for a world of free drugs has been raging for years. I believe the dispute between prohibition and legalisation would be more fruitful if it focused on the appropriate degree of regulation for addictive substances (drugs, but also alcohol and tobacco) and how to attain such regulation. Current international agreements are hard to change. All nations, with no exception, agree that illicit drugs are a threat to health and that their production, trade and use should be regulated.”