“If I started a business and it was clearly failing, I would shut it down. The war on drugs has failed http://www.thehouseilivein.org/advocate/ — why isn’t it being shut down?

As acclaimed filmmaker Eugene Jarecki’s latest video shows, the war on drugs has failed in every way possible. Trying to wage the war on drugs has costs the U.S. $1 trillion, with another $51 billion adding to the tally each year. This has resulted in 45 million drug related arrests, with the U.S. now jailing 2.3 million prisoners — more people than anyone else on the planet. What has all this accomplished? “Rates of addiction remain unchanged, overdose deaths are at an all-time high and drugs cost less than ever before.”

While attitudes and opinions on drug reform are dramatically shifting in the U.S. and across the world, more needs to be done. I echo Eugene’s call for U.S. citizens to urge Congress to advance the Smarter Sentencing Act. This could help put an end to racial profiling, mass incarceration, shattered communities and failed policy. The Smarter Sentencing Act will save the U.S. billions of dollars, which could be spent on helping people overcome drug dependencies. It will also ease dangerous overcrowding in prisons by reducing sentences for non-violent drug offenders,” quoting Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group, in the Huffington Post.
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