Hamster in a wheel: Will the U.N. special session on drugs actually change anything? (Arturo Sarukhan, Brookings)

At a first glimpse, recent events would suggest that there is a coming armistice in the ill-advisedly named "war on drugs." In the United States, more than half of Americans polled support the legalization of cannabis; four states and the District of Columbia have already done so, and 24 others authorize the use of medicinal marijuana. Several European countries have also experimented with decriminalization, regulation, or legalization of illicit drugs. And in Latin America, one of the main battlefronts of drug prohibition, winds of change are blowing. Marijuana has been legalized in Uruguay, and countries like Colombia and Mexico are engaged in widespread and meaningful debates on how to address their drug-related challenges.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/order-from-chaos/posts/2016/04/26-un-special-session-on-drugs-sarukhan