War on Drugs

This is what happens to innocent people when drug addicts get behind the wheel of a car.

Or use a gun to steal money for drugs.

Or tear a family apart.

So we can't do "nothing." Innocent people deserve more than "nothing."

The government has been trying to figure out what's better than nothing for years.

They've waged a three trillion dollar war.

Richard Nixon labeled drugs as "public enemy number one"

Nixon thought that the problem was drugs coming from Mexico.

So he ordered all traffic at the border to be invasively searched.

This practice violated a few civil liberties

And created a foreign policy nightmare with our friends south of the border,

So this approach was, more or less, a failure. Then Nixon focused on treatment for addicts,

Unfortunately drug use continued to rise. Then the Reagans came along,

And Nancy said the solution to drugs was -

"Just Say No." Easy. Piece o' cake.

For some reason, this technique didn't solve the problem...

Ronald Reagan created a law that made prison mandatory for anyone caught selling drugs.

The result?

Lots of dealers in jail.

Yet still lots of drugs on the Street.

Have we tried everything?

Is this a social problem?

Are we too uptight?

What do you think we should do?

What if we legalize drugs and then tax them?

Would this... "fix things?"

Nothing.

Doing "Nothing" is not an option.

Shmoop amongst yourselves.