Timothy Lynch

Timothy Lynch argues in the following viewpoint that the American public is increasingly dissatisfied with the war on drugs. Despite government claims that the war on drugs is reducing demand for illegal drugs and disrupting supply, illegal drug use remains strong, he maintains. According to Lynch, billions of tax dollars are spent every year in a fruitless attempt to keep drugs from entering the country. As long as people want to use illegal drugs, the government is helpless to change the laws of supply and demand, he contends. Lynch is the director of the Cato Institute’s Project on Criminal Justice.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Which states have approved the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, according to Lynch?
2. Why is drug use wrong, according to supporters of the drug...