Drugs are Fun

A simple, but smart attack in the Sydney Morning Herald, on drug prohibition around the world.

Three cheers for my fellow columnist Lisa Pryor, who last week suggested we acknowledge the elephant in the room where public debate about drugs occurs. It's time to stand up and say illegal drug use is fun and - unless you get caught - harmless.

Yes, there are exceptions to this. But far fewer than if you tried to make the same claim about nicotine or alcohol or junk food. The criminalisation of recreational drugs will one day be looked back on with the incredulity we now reserve for Prohibition.

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The persistence of drug criminalisation reflects the self-interest of a loose coalition of politicians, moralists and law enforcement officials, in search of headlines, bigger budgets and more power. They've been winning the argument for a long time now, at least in terms of public policy. What might alter this situation?

You hear that a lot -- "One day we will look back on the War on Drugs as one of the more retarded [ed-do people really say retarded?] policies we have ever had." -- And I agree. But you have to convince people that this is the case. Until that happens we can't have the proverbial, the emperor has no clothes moment...