Do you think that substance abuse should be decriminalized and treated as a health issue? [twitter.com]
Yes, the War on Drugs enriches the bad guys and promotes extreme and widespread violence. Frankly, better an "opiod crisis" than a War on Drugs.
Better a lot more attention to why Americans drink and drug themselves so much....
Yes, criminalizing it has been a failure in terms of preventing people from using drugs and has financed the drug cartels and corruption that are wrecking havoc in Mexico and many other countries.
It may have had that purpose as well, but it was also a way for Nixon legally go after groups of people that were against him and the Republican party. It didn't take long for other Republicans realized that it was a convenient way disenfranchise millions of people who were likely vote against them. Slowly some of the people who lost their right vote are getting it back, Florida for example, hopefully that trend will continue.
Of course, it amazes me that alcohol that brings so much misery is almost encouraged but other forms or abuse is frowned upon.
Maybe because it's too difficult to smuggle booze into prisons?