The Prohibition as a strategy to fight drug addiction turns 40. The famous conference where President Richard Nixon declared war on drugs dates back, indeed, to June 17th, 1971. At that time Nixon announced to the world his decision to attack America‘s public enemy number one, drug abuse. It was an actual general crusade without prisoners, carried out by the Drug Enforcement Agency, in the name of the holy principle of prohibition. 40 years later, we can say with certainty that things did not go as the then tenant of the White House hoped. The prohibition, indeed, was not able to move with the times and it represents a complete failure. This is the reason why according to “The Atlantic” if every president has expanded it, Obama should end it.
He should but, unfortunately, we are quite sure that he will not. The reasons why he should say stop to the Prohibition are simple. Almost everyone agrees that, instead of reducing drug abuse, the Prohibition has seriously complicated addicts’ life and it has significantly increased the profits of drug dealers. In this regard, it is very interesting what the Global Commission Report says. The most important passages of the document were published last week (June 6th) in this website. From these passages it emerges that, according to an ensemble of prominent figures such as former ministers, central bankers, heads of state and managers of large international organisations (many of whom are American), the US Government should turn over a new leaf and fight drug abuse with alternative measures. Unfortunately, we think that President Obama will not follow their suggestion. The reasons of such a behaviour are more cultural than opportunistic. In the Nineties, indeed, in one of the first issues of “Public Interest”, the well-known American sociologist Nathan Glazer explained that cultural problems are more complex and difficult than the social and political ones.
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