Elaine Byrne: We need an honest debate on whether banning cannabis is more harmful than legalising it

The war on drugs has been a spectacular and costly failure, and it’s time to face reality instead of continuing our usual approach of ‘blissful ignorance’

Workers inspect cannabis plants growing inside a shipping container grow pod at the Delta 9 Cannabis Inc facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, where recreational cannabis use has been legalised. Picture: Trevor Hagan/Bloomberg