Does Prohibition Reduce Drug Use?

The war against drugs certainly has been good for government, with bigger budgets, more bureaucracy, and new powers.

But does it have any positive impact, even from the perspective of people (like me) who think drug use has a net negative impact on both users and society?

The answer, almost surely, is no. A recent article from The Economist finds that marijuana use is very low in Portugal, even though most drugs - including heroin and cocaine - were decriminalized in 2001.

So if the Drug War has lots of bad consequences and no good consequences, isn't it time to stop? After all, if you're in a hole, doesn't it make sense to stop digging?