Reason and rights in global drug control policy – Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), 172 (5), March 2005

Among a number of compelling reasons for the international community to reconsider the « war on drugs, » the HIV/AIDS epidemic is the most urgent. The prevailing emphasis on law enforcement in drug policy has failed to produce its purported benefits, yet many countries insist on enforcing prohibition and resist the implementation of evidence-based measures to reduce the healthrelated harms of drug use.