It would save us billions every year in enforcement costs, and even more in incarceration costs.
And, most importantly, it would roll back one of Nixon's most damaging and racist legacies, and it would allow millions of Americans, mostly from minority communities, to fully take part in our democracy once again.
And if we really, truly, want to address drug abuse in America, we need to follow the advice of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and start treating drug abuse as a public health issue, instead of a criminal justice issue.
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Thom Hartmann is a Project Censored Award-winning New York Times best-selling author, and host of a nationally syndicated daily progressive talk program on the Air America Radio Network, live noon-3 PM ET. www.thomhartmann.com His most recent books are "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight," "Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights," "We The People," "What Would Jefferson Do?," "Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle (more...)