Mexico legalizes small-time possession.

This is part of a growing global consensus that the US's idea of a "War on Drugs" (much like the US's idea of "how to run your economy") doesn't really work. This follows the Bolivian embrace of cocoa production, and a general disaffection with governing models from Washington DC throughout the hemisphere.

And they're right. The particular social problems created by drugs are not best addressed through police action.

Prohibition has very limited utility. It actually serves to exacerbate real problems by creating a lucrative criminal economy, preventing education that can reduce risk/harm, and driving addicts further underground, away from the help they need.

People's desire to tinker with their own biochemistry is enduring and exists in all known human cultures. Lord knows I've done my share, and I don't think there's anything criminal about that. I tend to think this is something people should generally have a right to do.

Anyway, if anti-drug crusaders were really concerned with how the stuff we put into our body is impacting our health and well-being (as individuals or as a society), they'd be talking about the obeisety epidemic and our fundimentally fucked up attitudes toward food and nutrition. However, our drug war is actually about enforcing a certain set of cultural norms, which is why it doesn't work.