Prohibiting drugs has not worked. Not only has it not worked, but the unintended consequences have been deadly. Because of the prohibition a drugs arms race has developed. Newer (still legal for now) drugs are emerging and are being developed. Legal highs as they are known in the UK have been the subject of controversy. Examples of legal highs are GBL (a derivative of GHB), mephedrone (the miaow drug) synthetic cannabinoids, which are sprayed on herbal smoking products, and chemicals such as BZP (Benzylpiperazine), part of the piperazine family of stimulants that are an alternative to amphetamine. (from the Telegraph)
Governments wishing drugs away is not making the drugs go away. The prohibition of each drug drives the market for legal drugs to the next drug to be developed. This is insanity. The policy leads to people self experimenting with "still legal" drugs which are far more dangerous than the traditional illicit ones.
The new UK law dealing with legal highs has angered experts who argue that the legislation does not go far enough because it does not ban other party drugs such as mephedrone. The drug has already been outlawed in some countries, including Sweden, Israel and the US, where it has been linked with a string of deaths.
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