Debate Club

Is It Time to Scale Back the 'War on Drugs'?

GQ and the Huffington Post report that, if re-elected, the Obama administration will change the current strategy in the "war on drugs." Obama, who used marijuana and cocaine in his youth, has expressed that the approach to addressing drug abuse by strict enforcement and punishment alone does not work. However, federal authorities under his administration have cracked down on medical marijuana dispensaries across the country, even where their operations are legal under state law, leading many to question his commitment to changing drug enforcement policy.

Critics of the war on drugs say that it is actually making the problem worse. They argue that, by imprisoning small-time dealers and other low-level participants, authorities are breaking up impoverished families, dooming future generations to a similar fate. They say the government should spend fewer resources on the criminal aspect of drug use and more on the public health dimension, expanding treatment and rehabilitation. Some go as far to say marijuana should be legal, which could fill state coffers through taxes and regulation. However, others argue that calls for legalization and decriminalization are unrealistic and even dangerous, and that going soft on drugs will only lead to more use.

Is it time to scale back the war on drugs? Here is the Debate Club's take:

The Arguments

#1
1743 Pts

Yes — The government has wasted over a trillion dollars fighting drugs when it should be regulating them

PAUL ARMENTANO, Deputy Director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Comment (47)

#2
1346 Pts

Yes — Even the police see regulation as the way to control drugs

NEILL FRANKLIN, Retired Cop and Executive Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Comment (23)

#3
990 Pts

Yes — After 40 years of failed strategy, it's time to end the war on drugs

AARON HOUSTON, Executive Director of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Foundation Comment (27)

About Debate Club

A meeting of the sharpest minds on the day's most important topics, Debate Club brings in the best arguments and lets readers decide which is the most persuasive. Read the arguments, then vote. And be sure to check back often to see who has gotten the most support—and also to see what's being discussed now in the Debate Club.

Have ideas about what the Club should be debating? E-mail it to dclub@usnews.com.

You can also join the debate on Facebook or follow Debate Club on Twitter.

Advertisement
Cartoons
Thomas Jefferson Street Blog
Syria, Israel and the Obama Administration's Absentee Foreign Policy

Creating a mess you are going to leave for someone else to clean up is not a good way to manage U.S. foreign policy.

Obamacare Contraception Mandate Targets the First Amendment

Obamacare's contraception mandate threatens the free exercise of religion .

Obama Passive-Aggressive in the Face of Syria Hawks

His decision to arm Syrian rebels was a passive-aggressive one.

Spring Robins and Family Make Politics Seem Silly

Maybe those of us in political battle should spend a little more time on miracles.

Equal Employment, Criminals and BMW’s Big Problem

Preventing former criminals who have served their time from getting a job helps nobody.

Study Shows Paid Sick Days Help Contain Deadly Diseases Like Flu

GOP insistence on standing between workers and paid sick days is making us all ill.

Poll: Voters Want Results From Congress, Not Just Effort

Republicans are kidding themselves if they think voters will reward them just for trying.

Obama Praised for Leading From Behind on Immigration and Tax Reform

Congress praises Obama's low profile on immigration and tax reform.

Advertisement