The British Medical Journal calls (again) for the legalization of all drugs

The British Medical Journal, one of the world’s oldest general medical journals, calls for the legalization, regulation, and taxation of all drugs in the next issue dedicated to the study of drug laws and public health policies.

In the preface In the study, BMJ Editor-in-Chief Fiona Godlee presents the indisputable facts and the thought-provoking figures.

In fact, she estimates that every British taxpayer spends €450 each year on the war on drugs. And to combat the rise in violent crime, the United Kingdom’s new policy, known as Serious Violence Strategy, proposes to spend an additional 45 million euros on drug prohibition policies.

The BMJ believes that the proposed measures will not be sufficient to tackle drug-related crime, and links the epidemic of knife violence to the massive influx of fentanyl and cocaine on the black market.

In addition, the United Kingdom is the Europe's leading exporter of medical cannabis, even as it continues to restrict its medical and recreational use for its own citizens.

Fiona Godlee concludes by saying that there is no rational justification for criminalizing drugs, as law enforcement fails to stop violence or keep dangerous substances out of the hands of users. In fact, it allows the black market to flourish and harm public health.

The same newspaper had already called for the legalization of drugs in 2016. Their perspective is intended to be as objective as possible, as Fiona Godlee writes:

«The question isn’t whether drugs are good or bad. It’s an opinion based on evidence that aligns with the public health perspective on violent crime.»