1. Alternative To the War on Drugs
Since that time, the government has implemented the much more successful policy of focusing law enforcement efforts on irresponsible alcohol users who endanger the rights of others. ... The law regards all users as abusers, and the result has been the creation of an unnecessary class of lawbreakers. ... Calculations based on recent BJS reports suggest that, at any one time, 59,300 prisoners charged with or convicted of violating marijuana laws (3.3% of the total incarcerated population) are behind bars, at a total cost to taxpayers of some $1.2 billion per year. ... Despite the fact that drug...