7.5 Chapter Summary
Key Summary Points
- The prohibition of drugs, and more specifically the war on drugs, has not only failed to achieve its stated goals of reducing the use and trade of psychoactive substances, it has fueled poverty, undermined health, and failed socio-economically disadvantaged and marginalized communities throughout the world (Global Health Watch, 2017).
- Prohibiting drugs through legislation and policy neither decreases supply of nor demand for psychoactive substances. Instead, criminalizing substances simply pushes the drug trade into underground illegal markets, that lack the regulation and control of legal markets. This contributes to reduced product safety, toxic poisoning (overdose) events and death, and a culture of violence used to maintain market control and settle disputes.
- Other policy solutions rooted in science/evidence, such as those based on harm reduction and public health, can help alleviate the social costs associated with drug use.
Additional Resources
Below are a list of supplementary resources for students interested in learning more about the chapter topics. These resources are NOT required course materials. A list of required course materials, beyond those found throughout this chapter, are provided on the following page.
Additional Viewings
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. (March 2016). Why the war on drugs is a huge failure [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJUXLqNHCaI&t=13s
