Another newspaper sees failed policy

Today’s McAllen (TX) Monitor: Losing the Drug War — Decriminalization would be more effective than drug eradication

There is an old saying: “There are none so blind as those who will not see,” which comes to mind when we see news reports about expanding the international drug war. […]
Actually, the main problem isn’t that the aerial eradication program isn’t successful. It’s that the drug war itself is failing. Born of the flawed idea that if drug users have trouble obtaining drugs, they’ll stop using, the drug war has been going on for decades with little success. […] The police are doing what they’re supposed to, but they’re fighting a losing battle because the drug war ignores economics and common sense. […]
If officials are serious about lowering the rates of crime and drug use, they should curtail their efforts to keep consumers from getting what they want.
Decriminalization of drugs would remove the risk suppliers now face, which would lower prices. That would, in turn, lead to a decrease in robberies and burglaries because users would not need as much money to buy their drugs. That’s not to say such crimes would disappear; they‰ve always been with us because not all crimes are a result of drug use.
The easy availability of illegal drugs in the United States is proof the drug war isn’t working, despite the billions we spend on it every year. That’s a pretty high price tag for a policy that’s not working.