illegal drugs

The illegal drug problem in the United States has two sides. First is the drugs like cocaine, heroin and meth that come into the country mostly across the southern border. Second is the demand for such drugs. In an attempt to solve the second, President Nixon in 1971 started the war on drugs. After spending more than a trillion dollars the results are open to interpretation which means no one knows. There has been a decrease in drug use but many say that is because tougher laws have incarcerated 500,000 for drug related crimes. All of this confusion leads some to believe that these drugs should be legalized but will that stop the problem. Many states are now experimenting with legal pot and perhaps other states should legalize other drugs and then decide on the merits. Some states have yet to legalize these drugs but do provide free needles and most states offer rehab for addicts. Most agree that the penalty for selling drugs should be more severe than the penalty for using drugs but most users end up selling to feed their habit. In short this whole thing is a mess.