Obama Not Willing to End the Drug War
At a town hall in Maryland on Friday, President Obama answered a question on drug policy from a doctoral student studying--wait for it--political rhetoric: “ Much sacrifice is being asked of our generation. When are our economic perspectives going to be addressed? For example, when is the war on drugs in society going to be abandoned and be replaced by a more sophisticated and cost effective program of rehabilitation such as the one in Portugal?” The President's answer echoed his administration's continued position on the drug problem. He spoke about violence in Mexico attributed to drug gangs and our underachieving rehabilitation system, but emphasized that the focal point of the strategy is on reducing American demand for drugs. At the end of his response, he cut to the chase: “ Just to make sure that I’m actually answering your question, am I willing to pursue a decriminalization strategy as an approach? No. But I am willing to make sure that we’re putting more resource...