Ending the War on Drugs

The United States spends billions of dollars each year to fight the drug trade, but demand for illegal substances persists. Increasing acceptance of medical marijuana and horrific drug violence in Mexico are making many people skeptical about the “War on Drugs.” At the recent Summit of the Americas, leaders of some South American countries criticized the U.S. for its staunch support of the war. Is public sentiment moving us into an era without a war on drugs? Host Frank Stasio ponders that question with Isaac Campos, assistant professor of history at the University of Cincinnati and author of the book “Home Grown: Marijuana and the Origins of Mexico's War on Drugs”(UNC Press/2012); and Art Benavie, an economics professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the book, “Drugs: America’s Holy War” (Routledge/2008).