Published 2 June 201111 March 2014 · Politics / Culture Thanks for 50 years of prohibition … SJ Finn This year marks 50 years of drug prohibition. 50 years since the United Nations adopted the first international treaty to prohibit certain drugs. And, in the spirit of cordiality and a large amount of tongue and cheek, there are those who would like to send their thanks. From Igor, Russian heroin trader. From Azlan, Taliban Leader. There are some, with just as much cordiality but no tongue and cheek, asking – it would seem – trickier questions: But back to the thanks. From Marika, girlfriend of a drug kingpin. And from Pablo, cartel owner in Mexico City. SJ Finn SJ Finn is an Australian writer whose fiction and poetry has been widely published in literary magazines and Australian newspapers. Her latest novel is Down to the River. She can be found at sjfinn.com. More by SJ Finn › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 1 June 2026 · Culture We were all workers on GeoCities Maria Dudko GeoCities remains an important reminder that collective labour on the internet is not new — and that recognising ourselves as workers is the first step towards organising as such. 4 29 May 202629 May 2026 · Politics Zionism in real-time: insights from the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Nick Riemer While the Royal Commission sits, Israel continues to murder and starve Gazans as they try somehow to survive. Since the genocide is, indisputably, the necessary overarching context for a discussion of antisemitism in Australia at the present moment, it is perverse that the Commission has refused to hear from the Palestine solidarity movement.
