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The Legalization Debate: Mapping Change and Trends in the United States

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New Approaches to Drug Policies
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Abstract

In his book Drugs: America’s Holy War, Arthur Benavie declares that the war on drugs and the practice of prohibition is 99 years old; this war turned 100 in 2014. He provocatively asks, ‘[iíjas the war been worth it? lias prohibition, as a policy, achieved the goals it set out to accomplish? The answer is an emphatic no. He cites the continued tìow and use of drugs, health issues and the spread of HIV /AIDS, homicides and gang violence, the destruction of families, and the wasting of human life and potential. These negative repercussions occur alongside attempts to continue prohibition at the expense of taxpayers, national security, human security, and the LIS Constitution.

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Notes

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© 2015 Hamm Samir Kassab

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Kassab, H.S. (2015). The Legalization Debate: Mapping Change and Trends in the United States. In: Brienen, M.W., Rosen, J.D. (eds) New Approaches to Drug Policies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137450999_11

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