Massive British media and political attention has been concentrated on cocaine. Yet, almost unnoticed, amphetamines have been one of the most widely used illicit drugs in the United Kingdom. The author calls for bringing all drug problems into comparative focus, so political hyperbole and rhetoric bear some relation to real needs. Although law enforcement efforts receive substantial funding, there is no evidence that those efforts have a significant impact on the illicit market. The drug war continues, developing ever newer weapons which inevitably erode personal freedoms. New and wider police and customs powers to search suspected traffickers' bank and personal records and government files on them override any secrecy obligations or other statutory restrictions on disclosure of information. In the face of widespread evidence that the drug war cannot be won, there is little attention paid to alternative strategies. The key to any fresh approach towards drug use and abuse is acceptance of the fact that humankind has been using an array of mind-altering substances since the dawn of civilization and is unlikely to change its ways. Emphasis should be shifted from the prevention of all drug use to the prevention of dysfunctional use and the teaching of sensible and healthful use patterns.