IEA Communications Officer Harrison Griffiths has written for CapX praising Germany’s decision to decriminalise recreational cannabis.

Harrison wrote:

“After Colorado became the first U.S. state to legalise marijuana in 2012 and Uruguay followed as the first country to do so in 2013, it seemed as though the campaign to end prohibition was finally turning the tide.

“But that hasn’t quite played out. A series of botched implementations has set back the drug legalisation cause for decades.

“We must, of course, learn the lessons from other countries’ struggles. But they do not undermine the case for liberalising our approach to drugs. Prohibition remains an immoral and failed approach to tackling drug harms.

“Unlike the antinomian decriminalisation policies seen in drug-riddled American cities, Portugal still uses its police force to break up open air drug markets and crack down on drug-related crimes. This helps to limit the negative social effects which can spill over as a consequence of legalisation.

“Crucially, the moral case for legalising drugs remains as strong as ever. Selling and consuming drugs is a victimless crime. One does not have to be an acid house enthusiast to state that fact. It is fundamentally immoral to send armed agents of the state to put someone in a cage for an act which does not infringe on the rights of others. To coin a phrase from the American left, my body, my choice.”

Read Harrison’s full piece here.