Influential international newspaper The Economist has long championed the legalisation of recreational drugs. Under the mantra of tax, regulate and educate, the benefits to society are said to vastly outweigh the harm.

Of course there would be an increase in the consumption of harmful drugs, but the list of positives is lengthy, including but not limited to;

- Massive reduction in organised and violent crime
- Massive reduction in policing and legal costs
- Improved quality of drugs (if your child was going to pop a pill, wouldn't you rather it was produced in a supervised laboratory rather than some potentially deadly concoction bought off the street that arrived in the country up someone's ass).
- Massive tax revenue stream that could be used to fund education and treatment.

Marijuana is the first step and is now legal is several US states, with more sure to follow. Is this issue still political poison in Australia?