thanks for pointing that out. I did not recall the %. If true, then it shows Nixon was wiser on this matter than leaders that followed. The shame is that most people who have drug problems have serious emotional problems that need compassion, not incarceration, to help solve. The Drug Warriors like to imply the drugs cause the problem these people have, when it is their sad state that causes them to fall into the drug dependency. We would have a much more civil society if we treated them with compassion instead of police state actions.
We are just now beginning to map the functions of the human mind. Those physical components as they relate to mental function can enter the area of handicap. However,I do not know how such disabilities relate to those who crave euphoria inducing drugs. I would think that the quest for euphoria has an almost universal appeal. The scientific community must talk about the barbaric nature of the law enforcement community in its insensitivity to those with an abnormal addiction to euphoria producing drugs. You would think there would be a call for a more humane treatment for the addict. Throwing them in jail may leave more psychological scars than the drug use. In fact, if the drug use has caused some type of mental deficiency, it would be better to approach the problem through a clinician rather than a jail cell. Given the cost of incarceration, the clinicians would be a bargain.
What did these people do before the 60's hippie protesters popularized illegal drugs? In 1955 I graduated from a very large high school and no one I knew had even heard of any drugs. Today we even have elementary school kids taking drugs. We have freepers advocating drug use. I don't think we can change back to the way it was. The WOD confuses me. I hate drug users, dealers and apologists. I don't see any viable options. If we legalize drugs, elementary school kids will still use them.