David Boaz

In the following viewpoint, David Boaz maintains that the war on drugs does far more harm than good. It has cost the country billions of dollars, he says, and caused increases in crime, corruption, and distrust of government. In the author’s view, the drug war should be abandoned because it violates individual freedoms and because the majority of Americans do not support drug laws. David Boaz is vice president of the Cato Institute, a libertarian public policy research organization that advocates limited government.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What percentage of the prison population do drug offenders constitute, according to the author?
2. How does drug prohibition cause crime, in Boaz’s view?
3. In the author’s opinion, how does drug prohibition...