Thailand, Mexico, Colombia and other countries have tried the same strategies and their drug problems still persist. The walls of the correctional institutions, rehabilitation clinics and confessionals, and the bullets fired in a dark alley from ridings-in-tandem, the face of General Bato, even the intimidating curses by the Presidentcould not make the drug problem go away. The solution is to license functional drug users, rehabilitate its abusers, and criminalizeany unlicensed drug-related activities. Legalizing and regulating functional drug use can be implemented by a process of licensing, subject to mandatory police, medical, psychological and financial clearances. These restrictions are to be encrypted in the license cards, which will be swiped in authorized drug outlets.

Source: Manila Times November 14, 2016 15:47 UTC