How About Ending the War ( on Drugs ) ?

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I neither smoke nor drink (Alcohol.)  I consider both generally unhealthy to both the body and the mind.   There are far better ways of getting "high", in my opinion.  For example, engaging in various kinds of sports, listening to a beautiful music, reading, writing or reciting an amazing poem, taking a walk in the nature, watching your kids play their favorite game, spending a night around a campfire, being mesmerized by the beautiful sky at the sunrise or sunset, gazing at the night sky, learning a new skill, finding a truly clever solution to an interesting puzzle, engaging in any creative work or simply doing what you truly enjoy. Yet, I think education, caring and love are much more effective ways of changing the behavior of those we (claim to) care about, than punishment, and imprisonment.  There are also other reasons for legalizing drugs, economy is one of them, protecting civil liberties is another. There are other reasons too.

Here is a recent action alert by the American Civil Liberties Union asking people to urge the newly elected governor of California and State Legislators to support a state sentencing reform making possession of small amounts of drug a misdemeanor as opposed to a felony.  Three books that I have come across are particularly informative for those interested in gaining a better understanding about the subject of drugs.  They are:

• From Chocolate to Morphine, by Dr. Andrew Weil
• The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander
• The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan

There are other published books and resources on the subject as well.  Here is a talk by Michelle Alexander, the author of The New Jim Crow, that is worth listening to.  She also appeared on Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now! a few month ago. PBS recently ran a very interesting segment where different panelists gave their take on Michael Pollan's book "The Botany of Desire", based on which a documentary by the same name was made in 2009.  Here is a talk that Michael Pollan gave at the UC Berkeley a couple of years ago.  Here is another panel discussion on Drug War and Medical Marijuana that was held at UC Berkeley in 2003.  

I also found an interesting point-by-point debate on the subject of War on Drugs for those who might be interested in learning and/or participating in the exchange.  Wikipedia has also a relatively comprehensive entry  listing various arguments for and against the drug prohibition.