On Start The Week, one of the writers of The Wire called the entirely drugs-based economy in much of Baltimore "capitalism to the nth degree". His prescription was wrong; the war on drugs has not been lost, because it has never been fought. But his diagnosis was perfect.

This site provides free access to a full text report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2008. The 187 page report critically examines the nature, extent and impact of opium poppy cultivation and trafficking in illegal drugs and narcotics in Afghanistan in 2007/8. Topics covered include the importance of the drugs trade to the economy of Afghanistan. There is also consider...

Cowardice A blast of truth from a former civil servant exposes the endemic hypocrisy of Governments' drugs policy.Many ministers and civil servants hold drugs prohibition in contempt but meekly implement laws that have increased drugs harm including deaths. Julian Critchley...

THE UK government's chief drugs adviser was forced to quit yesterday in the wake of a row over the dangers of class A drugs.

Almost all is sensible except: His report does raise one good argument, however. At present the trade in class A drugs is concentrated in the rich nations. If it were legalised, we could cope. The use of drugs is likely to rise, but governments could use the extra taxes to help people tackle addiction. But because

This article reports on a study that claims that the legalisation of drugs could save the UK £14bn. There are potentials for savings by reducing crime and by cutting organised criminal syndicates out of parts of the hidden, drug economy. This is definitely something that should be considered by the government - not shouted down by mindless sensationalism from the tabloids and populist politicians...

Remove dogma, spin, PR and inertia, and the truth might get a chance. We now see the ex drugs policy director for the government coming out in favour of legalising drugs. I have blogged about this before a number of times. An end to the massive drain on our resources, misdirected law enforcement, unnecessary imprisonments and invasions of privacy (money laundering legislation is mostly to hunt for...

How many people cannot get the drugs they believe they need on the NHS?About 15,000 patients ask their primary care trust to pay for extra drugs every year, but many more probably do not even try. Why can't the NHS pay for these drugs?These are generally new drugs, which come on the market at very high prices. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which decides whi...

Commenting on today’s NHS statistics which show that 25% of children aged 11-15 have tried drugs at least once, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: "While the fall in children experimenting with drugs is welcome, the percentage of children trying drugs is still shockingly high. "The Government must ensure that public health messages on the dangers of drugs and alcohol...

I see there's a new campaign going about to decriminalise and destigmatize drugs. One in three adults in the UK have taken them, as have the last three US presidents, so it's time to remove the stigma around drugs, and talk openly towards more effective, safer policy. OK, I'm in the minority that has never experimented with recreational chemicals and my Puritan upbringing (really!) means that I do...