The term “war on drugs,” coined in 1968 by Richard Nixon, describes the American public’s intolerance of illegal drugs, drug users, and drug traffickers. Under this ethos, officials strive to eliminate drugs from society by enacting strict legal penalties for drug users, dealers, and smugglers.

Many argue that the war on drugs has been unsuccessful and should be abandoned. Despite spending millions of American tax dollars on drug interdiction efforts and the incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders, critics point out that the number of drug users in the United States increased from 5.8 percent of the population in 1992 to 6.7 percent in 1998.

Some opponents of the drug war argue that drugs should be legalized, freeing up money for more effective uses, such as providing more funding for treatment centers and antidrug education. According to retired army intelligence officer Patrick...