The war on drugs is a failure

Wire creator to atty gen'l: "Thanks for your interest in another season; end the war on drugs and we'll talk"

Last summer, US attorney general Eric Holder made a public plea for another season of The Wire to be produced; series creator David Simon emailed a response saying he would do another season if Holder ended the war on drugs.

The Attorney-General's kind remarks are noted and appreciated. I've spoken to Ed Burns and we are prepared to go to work on season six of The Wire if the Department of Justice is equally ready to reconsider and address its continuing prosecution of our misguided, destructive and dehumanising drug prohibition.

via Boing Boing

It's Time To End "The War On Drugs."

Ever since I was a young man in college, I have felt that there was a much better way to deal with the use of illegal (harmful) drugs in this nation. We should make them legal, allow them to be sold in controlled stores (like liquor stores in many states), tax the proceeds, and use the proceeds for drug education and treatment programs. But the old drug laws still exist and they still wreak havoc on the lives of far too many Americans.

Some will argue that if we allow the drugs to be sold legally, even to those only of a certain age (18? 21?) the drugs will still wind up in the hands of children. But I ask - and the drugs aren't in the high schools and middle schools now? Yeah, right. The war on drugs is working so well (he said derisively).

Here's a great 6 minute video on the subject.