Open Seminar: Should We Continue the War on Drugs?

For over 50 years, Western countries have fought drugs with police, punishment, and prohibition. The question is whether this war can ever be won - or whether it has itself created some of the problems it set out to solve.

The seminar is prompted by the Danish publication of Johann Hari's book "Chasing the Scream" ("Krigen mod narkotika" in Danish). The book traces the history of the drug war from its political and propagandistic roots in the USA to the human and social consequences that prohibition policy has had since. The debate is timely: in the USA, Trump has classified fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, and in Denmark, cannabis legalization was briefly discussed in connection with a pilot scheme in Copenhagen - though nothing came of it, even as Germany has already taken the step.

CEPOS invites you to an afternoon seminar with the following speakers: Nanna Gotfredsen, founder of Gadejuristen and former MP for the Moderates (2022-2026), discussing punishment, addiction, and the need for a more humane drug policy. Rud Ellegaard, a former street officer on Vesterbro for 40 years, offers insight into life on the streets and in the drug-use environment. Jonas Herby, founder of IRES - Institute for Regulatory Studies, discusses prohibition, regulation, and the consequences of drug policy. Johann Hari, British author of "Chasing the Scream", tells the history of the drug war and the narratives that have shaped our view of drugs and addiction.

The seminar is moderated by Otto Brøns-Petersen, chief analyst at CEPOS.