A FORMER Brazilian President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, wrote some interesting words about drugs in my Sunday paper last week.

He said it was time to admit the obvious — the “war on drugs” has failed.

Unintended consequences in Latin America had been disastrous — thousands of people had lost their lives in drug-associated violence, drug lords had taken over entire communities, misery had spread and corruption was undermining fragile democracies.

Continuing the current drugs war was “ludicrous” and what was required was a “paradigm shift” away from repression of drug users and towards treatment and prevention.

Mr Cardoso noted with approval a trend in countries such as Argentina and Mexico towards removing criminal penalties for small amounts of drugs for personal and immediate consumption.

“The status of addicts must change from that of drug buyers in the illegal market to that of patients cared for in the public health system,” he wrote.

“Police activities can then be better focused against the drug lords and organised crime.”

At this stage, I should point out that I know absolutely nothing about the drug scene — I have never been remotely tempted to touch the stuff.

Not even in a gay bar in Rotterdam.

It seems necessary to explain that I was there with a mixed party of fellow journalists because the taxi driver, who was asked to take us from a quiet bar to one more lively, had either a sense of humour or a wicked streak.

Cannabis was passed round, this being Holland, but although I appreciated the novelty of being offered a drag for the first time in my life, I felt it wise to decline politely.

Here in Bolton, I know that countless lives have been ruined over the years and, in spite of successful police operations now and then, there is a sense that the town will never be entirely “clean”.

Famously, prohibition did not work with alcohol in the United States and there is little to suggest that the flow of drugs will ever be stopped, no matter how many police operations are carried out. It is a classic demand and supply scenario.

Maybe one answer is for officialdom to tackle the problem head-on by making cannabis available — complete with grim health warnings, an advertising ban and easy access to addiction centres — alongside outlets for tobacco and alcohol.

It would be a brave move for a British government to make and there seems little prospect that it will happen any time soon.

I need to stress that I am not advocating this course of action because I do not have the necessary experience or knowledge about the potential risks.

That does not stop me imagining a distant future when customers at the Dog & Spliff — premises reclaimed from previous office or restaurant use — could buy Afghanistan Free Trade drugs legally, thereby putting street dealers out of work.

State-owned cannabis farms — established after consultation with far-Eastern experts — might provide welcome employment opportunities and a new lease of life for redundant cotton mills.

Time for a pint, I think.