Two-thirds of American voters believe that the war on drugs should end, and they support decriminalizing simple possession of currently illegal substances, according to a new poll from the ACLU and Drug Policy Alliance (DPA). The survey comes just ahead of the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon declaring the drug war, igniting a system of mass criminalization over behavior that advocates and experts say should instead be treated as public health matters. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said they agreed the U.S. should pull out of the war on drugs. And 66 percent support the more specific policy of “eliminating criminal penalties for drug possession and reinvesting drug enforcement resources into treatment and addiction services”—a reform referred to by advocates as decriminalization.Curiously, the poll also found that a significantly bigger number of U.S. voters (83 percent) feel the drug war has failed—a notable disconnect given that a sizable portion of those individuals apparently do not want to end what they consider a failed policy.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 06/09/2021 11:31:00