John P. Walters

In the following viewpoint John P. Walters argues that the prohibition of illegal drugs protects public health. Walters refutes the claim that prisons are flooded with innocent drug users, maintaining that most of those imprisoned are violent drug offenders. Walters also contests claims that legalization has worked in Europe, pointing out that Dutch decriminalization of marijuana has increased use by 300 percent. According to Walters, drugs, not drug laws, create problems for addicts and society. Walters is director of the National Office of Drug-Control Policy.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In Walters’s opinion, what is the softest spot in the reasoning of legalizers?
2. In 1998 how much did American drug abuse cost, in the author’s view?
3. According to Walters, what percentage of the child welfare caseload involves caregivers who abuse substances...