It was in the days after prohibition when marijuana was outlawed in America. 1937 to be precise. Since that time, all the states of the union have wrestled with the right mix of laws and sanctions, to prevent and to punish drug use and abuse. Draconian laws generally won the day, low thresholds and harsh sentences. Currently, the War on Drugs costs the U.S. 18.8 billion dollars a year, and most of it goes to prisons. There is, however, another trend, towards decriminalization and treatment rather than incarceration. One of the recent champions of that is the Republican governor of New Mexico. Gary Johnson says its time to ‘just say no’ to the war on drugs, that you shouldn’t be busted for smoking pot.
Guests:
Gary Johnson, Governor of New Mexico
and Dr. Eric A. Voth, M.D., specialist in International Medicine and Addiction Medicine.