> The government strains, at extraordinary expense, to pretend they can stop drugs from being made, bought and sold, but they can't. Sure they could. They jus

> The government strains, at extraordinary expense, to pretend they can stop drugs from being made, bought and sold, but they can't. Sure they could. They just don't try because the current system is very very good for them. Other countries like Portugal and the Netherlands have done a fantastic job on lowering their drug use rate dramatically. And it's very simple - they treat drug consumption as a medical problem, first and foremost. Possessing drugs, any drugs, for your own personal consumption is _not_ a crime in either place. Indeed, both countries go out of their way to provide facilities for addicts where they can safely take their drug and get medical treatment and counseling with no fear of being arrested. ---- If the United States wanted to end the drug war, they could simply look at the examples that worked and copied them. But they are much more interested in oppressing hapless addicts and jailing them.