The relaxation of cannabis laws shows the failure of the war on drugs

Uruguay's president, realising that prohibition has failed, wants to go further than others by legalising cannabis. Someone has to be first
The Guardian (UK)
Saturday, September 22, 2012

When the Uruguayan president José Mujica was asked about his proposal to make a historic break with global prohibition and put in place a legal, state-controlled market for cannabis, he replied: "Someone has to be first." In fact, recent years have seen reforms to cannabis policy and law proceeding apace around the world. The trend for decriminalisation of possession for personal use (with civil or administrative penalties replacing criminal ones) has spread across much of Europe, Latin America, and beyond.