Listening to some herbed out hippie whining about why marijuana should not be illegal can glaze over even the most libertarian eye.

But calling for the termination of the U.S. Drug War for all drugs is a somewhat different story.

Is the U.S. Drug War working?
Does it do more good than harm?
Don't ask a hippie.
Just lookit what a major U.S. Drug War policy maker had to say about how well their Drug War is working:
Prohibition was repealed, for the benefit of the nation.
Would ending the U.S. Drug War produce similar benefit?

Why are the two most common legal recreational drugs in the U.S. (beverage alcohol, and tobacco) also among the most deadly drugs on Earth?


note:
This thread inspired by tad.

They don't want to legalize them because that means abandoning their friends as the tobacco lobby, and the tobacco companies don't want drugs like marijuana to be legalized because that means tough competition. It hasn't really got much to do with safety, because tobacco and alcohol are worse than marijuana.

Look, I'm straight as an arrow when it comes to substance and alcohol abuse, probably to the point of being almost a prick about it (complete and total avoidance of such substances); I personally think it's a real stupid thing you would do to your body. But the way I see it, if an adult wants to abuse their own body then that's their prerogative. Legalize away.

One of two things is true. Either it does harm to the abuser, or not.

If so, SPLENDID! The drug abuser pays for his own punishment!
Too bad we can't get rapists and bank robbers to do that.

If not, then what the devil is all the fuss about?