Major panel:
Drug war failed; legalize marijuana

NEW YORK (AP) — The global war on drugs has failed and governments should explore legalizing marijuana and other controlled substances, according to a commission that includes former heads of state, a former U.N. secretary-general and a business mogul.

A new report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy argues that the decades-old "global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world." The 24-page paper will be released Thursday.

"Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately: that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem, and that the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won," the report said.

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Global drugs policies criticised in new report

A group of prominent politicians, including several former heads of state and the previous Secretary General of the UN, has strongly criticised anti-drugs policy around the world. A report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy says the war on illegal drugs has failed.

The former President of Colombia, Cesar Gaviria, is member of the Commission. He told the BBC that a number of countries around the world needed to start treating drug abuse as a health issue, rather than a criminal problem.

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