The War on Drugs

The policies of the United States government regarding illegal drug use have created controversy for decades. Policymakers have long disagreed over the costs of illegal drug use, the best ways to combat its impact on society, and even whether the war is worth fighting anymore. This new book provides historical context to the war on drugs and examines, among other related issues, three major sources of friction in the war: the disparity between criminal sentences for crack and powder cocaine offenses, a topic which the U.S. Congress has examined in detail for years; the move toward the use of more drug courts instead of traditional ones; and marijuana, a drug many people believe should be legalized and regulated like alcohol.