Drug policy reforms are the proposed changes on how most governments respond to the effects of substance use. The drug policy reform includes the prohibition of currently illegal drugs. These are drugs that have been ineffectual and counterproductive to which cannabis, opioids, cocaine, amphetamines and hallucinogens belong. Those who promote the drug policy reform believe that reducing harm and the regulation of production, marketing and distribution of illegal drugs are better than using law and enforcement. The way they battle against drugs is similar to how alcohol and tobacco are being regulated and the relative harm is taken into consideration.
There have been several findings about the illegal drugs and substances and have found that some of them are less harmful than those that are being regulated like alcohol, tobacco, aspirin and many more.
In one of the researches conducted, it was found that psilocybin, an illegal drug, is less toxic than Aspirin, which is ironically not part of the illegal drugs schedule. Also, nicotine in tobacco has been often compared with the illegal substance or drug cocaine, but tobacco remains legal in spite of the findings that a high percentage of deaths have been attributed to smoking.
There are a number of groups that advocate the policy. One of them is The Senlis Council, which is a European development thinktank. They advocate that drug addiction should be viewed as a health issue rather than criminal. They proposed the licencing of poppy cultivation for the manufacturing of poppy-based medicines. This action does not just help in the production of medicines such as morphine and codeine, but it also helps solve issues of poverty in affected communities.
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