The Drug Freedom Index is a numerical index compiled by Free Existence that claims to measure the liberality of drug laws around the world. The index rates the legality of recreational drug usage, possession, and sales in 246 countries and semi-autonomous regions around the world on a numeric scale. As it is the first attempt to quantify worldwide drug laws of its kind, there is presently some reliance on anecdotal evidence in lieu of direct legal analysis due to lack of access to primary sources (i.e., the actual written laws of some nations).

As of the 2011 index, Mexico had the most liberal drug laws, scoring 9.0 out of 10 possible points due to its August 21, 2009 decriminalization of small quantities of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and LSD for personal use as part of an attempt to undercut the profits of drug gangs as part of the ongoing drug war

Mexican Drug War

The Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict taking place among rival drug cartels who fight each other for regional control, and Mexican government forces who seek to combat drug trafficking. However, the government's principal goal has been to put down the drug-related violence that was...

there. In second place was the Netherlands with 8.5 out of 10, followed in third by a five-way tie between Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Spain. In contrast, the most restrictive drug laws could be found in Bhutan, which scored a mere 0.5 out of 10 due to its recent ban on all tobacco products.

The US states with the most liberal drug laws as ranked by the index were Alaska, California, Maine, Nevada, and Oregon, each of which scored 5.5 out of 10.