Rounding up some drug war stories and commentary

Yesterday was International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking created by the United Nations, and this press release noted that this day prompted ever more advocacy against punitive responses to drug activity: "UN experts call for end to global ‘war on drugs’."  On theme, I have seen a number of recent piece concerning the "war on drugs" in the US, and here are headlines and links:

From Cato at Liberty, "Why Are Cops in Charge of Medical Research and the Practice of Medicine?"

From Harper's Magazine, "Do Cartels Exist?: A revisionist view of the drug wars"

From The Hill, "A simple solution to save lives — and money — in the war on drugs"

From Marijuana Moment, "Chris Christie Vows To ‘End’ The Drug War If Elected President — But Only Partially"

From The New Republic, "Their Kids Died of Fentanyl Overdoses. Republicans Can’t Wait to Exploit It."

From the New York Times, "Harsh New Fentanyl Laws Ignite Debate Over How to Combat Overdose Crisis"

From Newsweek, "What If America Decriminalized All Drugs?"