America’s Drug Problem: A Case for Decriminalization

Legalization of drugs, or decriminalization, means different things to different people. For some it means taking the crime or the money out of the drug business. For others it has become a rallying cry, in much the same way that “repeal prohibition” was sixty years ago—one that brings together people from across the political spectrum, with very different views about what is wrong with our current policy of drug prohibition, and very different notions about what should replace it. Consider the wide range of prominent individuals who have expressed support for legalization. On the one hand are conservatives such as Milton Friedman, George Shultz, William F. Buckley, Gary Becker, and others associated with the Chicago scho...