In business , if one of our companies is failing , we take steps to identify and solve the problem . What we do n't do is continue failing strategies that cost huge sums of money and make the problem worse . It 's this kind of logic that underpins a new report published Tuesday by the Global Commission on Drug Policy , one that aims to take the debate on drug regulation to the next level . I 'm a member of the commission , and I am pleased to note that since our initial report in 2011 , international leaders and heads of state have increasingly echoed our calls for a major shift in global drug policy . Colorado and Washington took the discussion from theory to reality in 2012 by becoming the first political jurisdictions in the world to approve the legal regulation of the production , distribution and sale of marijuana . Uruguay took it a step further last December by becoming the first country in the world to do so . This latest report , `` Taking Control : Pathways to Drug Policies that Work , '' reflects a new evolution in our thinking . We not only reiterate the case for decriminalization , alternatives to incarceration , and greater emphasis on public health approaches , but we now also call for permitting the legal regulation of psychoactive substances . The reality is that the most effective way to advance the goals of public health and safety is to get drugs under control through responsible legal regulation . Much can be learned from the successes and failures in regulating alcohol , tobacco , pharmaceutical drugs and other products and activities that pose health risks to individuals and societies . And drug regulation is not as radical as some might think . In fact , it does n't even require a fundamental reconsideration of established policy principles . There is a wide spectrum of policy options to control various types of drugs . At one end of this spectrum are illegal , criminally controlled markets subject to a full-scale war on drugs . At the other end are legal , unfettered free markets controlled by commercial enterprises . Both of these options are characterized by an absence of regulation , with governments essentially forfeiting control of the drug trade . What 's needed are appropriately regulated legal drug markets . True , the importance to public health of legally regulating drugs comes not because they are safe , but precisely because they can be dangerous and pose serious risks . Yet however dangerous a particular drug may be on its own , its risks increase dramatically when it is produced , sold and consumed in an unregulated criminal environment . Putting accountable governments and regulatory bodies in control of this market can significantly reduce these risks . When thinking about how to best reduce the harms of drugs , alcohol prohibition in United States is a lesson in unintended , disastrous consequences , as I wrote in 2012 on CNN on the anniversary of the end of alcohol prohibition , that policy prompted an increase in consumption of hard liquor , organized crime taking over legal production and distribution , and widespread anger with the federal government . Since the war on drugs began in 1971 , over $ 1 trillion has been wasted and the United States has the highest prison population in the world . Some of these prisoners , from Ironwood State Prison , shared the stage with me in May during California 's first TEDX talk at a prison : while it was encouraging to see their anti-recidivism efforts and preparation for productive lives after prison , we should not be overcrowding prisons in the first place with people who need treatment and people who are nonviolent offenders . Under prohibition , no product controls exist . Illegal drug markets are driven by economic processes that encourage the production and supply of more potent -- and therefore more profitable -- drug preparations . Effective regulation could help gradually reverse this dynamic . In the United States and around the world , ending drug prohibition is being openly discussed . Elected officials , businessmen , physicians , educators , civil society and religious leaders are breaking the taboo and engaging in debate about common sense alternatives including reducing the harm done by existing drug policies . Law enforcement officials such as San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon support the upcoming Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act , which Californians will vote on this November . If a majority says `` yes on 47 , '' nonviolent drug crimes will be treated as a misdemeanor , reducing prison overcrowding , focusing law enforcement to go after violent criminals , and freeing up $ 1 billion over the next five years from prisons to education and health care . Imagine the possibilities when drugs are treated like a health issue , not a criminal issue . The one thing we can not afford to do is to go on pretending the war on drugs is working . California has a chance to reverse the harm done to its communities and its fiscal health by failed drug policies . More voters deserve opportunities to support alternative approaches to public safety , health and education that go hand in hand with the responsible regulation of legalized drugs . If drug policy , which costs $ 100 billion annually , were my business , I would call it a failure and shut it down before it ruins more lives . It 's time to apply that sort of thinking to our failed drug policies . 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New report by Global Commission on Drug Policy calls for drug policy rethink . Group calls for permitting the `` legal regulation of psychoactive substances '' What 's needed are appropriately regulated legal drug markets , says Richard Branson . U.S. example of prohibition shows why current drug policies wo n't work .