How did we get into this bind about drugs?

Smoking cigarettes is enjoyed by a lot of people but it is very harmful to smokers and to others. We know we cannot eliminate smoking by making it a crime. So we reduce the harm by regulating sale and by other measures, such as public campaigns to persuade people to give up smoking, restrictions on advertising, treatment for addiction and so on.

The war on drugs is hugely expensive, irrational and has adverse consequences.

Alcohol is also enjoyed by a lot of people but it causes serious harm to some individuals, to their families and to others. That includes a lot of violence. We know we cannot eliminate alcohol by making drinking a crime. They tried that in the United States under Prohibition and it did not work. So we reduce the harm caused by alcohol by regulating sale and by other measures.

Gambling is enjoyed by a lot of people. It also causes serious harm to some individuals and to their families. We know we cannot eliminate gambling by making it a crime. So we reduce the harm by regulating gambling and by other measures.