Whether or not the American war on drugs is winning in the streets, it’s taken a beating at the election booth. Last month, voters in five states overwhelmingly passed drug policy reform initiatives.
The impact of the California reforms will be profound. A third of California’s prison inmates are behind bars on drug charges. Under the proposition, up to 36,000 non-violent drug offenders and parole violators are expected to be transferred to treatment programmes. Proposition 36 is also expected to save California taxpayers more than $200 million a year, and an additional $500 million by eliminating the need for new prisons.
Source: Ariana Huffington, People Want Cease Fire on War on Drugs, Dallas Morning News, November 27, 2000.
For more on Drug Use and Control http://www.ncpa.org/pd/social/social4.html
