Now that 2016 is over, it is slowly dawning on the world that its horrors are far from finished. We all knew it, of course, but few were brave enough to admit it. The year that brought so much pain and suffering, eroded what we’ve taken to be sacred for so long, and killed our darlings by the boatload, was no self-contained aberration. It was just the beginning.

For the last seven years I have written an end-of-year piece about the top stories of the year in the fight to end our disastrous war on drugs.

2016 has been a strange, difficult year. We've accomplished more historic victories than ever -- but they're now overshadowed by the election of Donald Trump and the despair he is primed to wreak on our most vulnerable communities.

Here's my take on this year's most important victories and its most enormous setbacks.

Marijuana Legalization Wins Big on Election Night

Philippine Death Squads Have Killed Thousands of People Suspected of Using or Selling Drugs Since June.

On Saturday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump held a telephone call with the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte. According to Duterte, Trump praised Duterte’s deadly war on drugs and invited him to visit the White House. Upon assuming the presidency in June, Duterte made a public call for police and citizens alike to execute people who use or sell drugs, which has resulted in the murder of over 5,000 people suspected of being involved with drugs.

Normally when visiting weed friendly countries such as Amsterdam and certain states within the U.S., travellers still have to save the sneaky puff for allocated spots around the city.

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Although you’ll find the odd smoking booth outside your hotel, it’s generally not cool to be sparking a fat one in the comfort of your own room. But no longer will this be an issue as there’s now a website called ‘Bud n Breakfast’ where you can find accommodation that is cannabis friendly. Zing!

Set up by Sean Roby and Shayan Bastani, it’s basically like Hostelworld or AirBnB for people who like to get high. What’s not to like?

Since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in the Philippines he has been waging a bloody war on drugs that threatens to destabilise the country entirely, and has affected users of cannabis as well as “hard” drugs such as meth. We spoke to a prominent cannabis activist to learn more about the situation and the everyday risks for cannabis users.

On May 9th, 2016, the population of the Philippines elected a new president – Rodrigo Duterte, former mayor of the city of Davao. Duterte has been linked to the notorious Davao Death Squad, believed to be responsible for the deaths of over a thousand suspected drug dealers between 1998 and 2008.