Should the U.S. Continue its War on Drugs?

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The major consumer of illegal drugs in the World is the US. The facts in the US provide for much optimism: drug control has reduced casual use, chronic use and addiction, and prevented others from starting to use drugs. Drug use in the US is down by more than a third since the late 1970s. This means that 9.5 million fewer people use illegal drugs and cocaine use has been reduced by an astounding 70% resulting in 4.1 million fewer people using cocaine.

Over the last four decades, policies of drug control can be broken down into two periods: the first, from 1960 to 1980 - a period of permissive drug laws; the second, from 1980 to present - a period of tougher drug laws. During the permissive years, drug crime incarceration rates fell almost 80 percent. In contrast, during the period of tough drug laws, drug incarceration rates rose almost 450 percent. These two periods had far different consequences. During the permissive years, drug use among adolescents climbed by more than 500 percent. During the tougher years, drug use by adolescent students decreased by more than a third.