Report: Money put into anti-drug efforts stateside a waste

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - A new report suggests the money the U.S. government has spent on trying to stop people from smoking weed has pretty much been a waste.

Dr. Evan Wood is the founder of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, and also one of the report's authors. He says, "Since about 1981, over $200 billion have been spent on [the American] anti-drug efforts."

But has that money done any good?

Wood says over that time, arrests and the number of people sparking up joints has increased. But he also tells us, "The price of cannabis has actually gone down and the potency has gone up quite dramatically."

He says strict regulatory measures could keep weed away from young people and money away from criminals. A survey in the US shows 80 per cent of students say pot is easy to get their hands on.