Rerun: Why has the War on Drugs not worked? Lessons from Undercover Policing

SKRAPS of Science & Innovation

This re-run was triggered by a news article of a horrible event in Ecuador where a prison riot killed 68 people.
Such type of events are becoming increasingly commonplace due to organised crime. The rioters and instigators must be dealt with appropriately to control the violence, but beyomnd that where does that leave us?
We can take one stance, which is drugs are bad and all drug dealers must be banned, drug consumers must be victimised and jailed for their infractions of law. While this view is probably justified, it doesn't help solve the drug problem. Why?
Because, decades of pursuing the bad guys and prohibiting the drugs has not helped eradicate the problem. In fact, it has made it worse says our guest, Neil Woods. Neil is someone who after two and half decades of being an undercover cop, is trying to go to the root cause of the problem and is arguing for evidence based drug policy.
In fact, before you make a judgement, Neil's comments will make both conservatives and libertarians happy. Not because, it is political but because he advises following the evidence and ensuring adequate regulations are in place to help people rather than pool all resources behind policing.