Stop the war on drugs and decriminalize drugs that are now illegal.

The war on drugs is 41 years old as of 2012 and has obviously failed since is still ongoing. This war costs about $76 billion a year when compared to decriminalizing its target drugs. Ending this war and making such drugs available through prescriptions would (1) bring down the cost of these drugs, (2) greatly reduce the violence now associated with them, and (3) for example reduce emergency room visits. After all, opiates are now available to people whose pain is not otherwise treatable, with no uncontrollable side effects. And cigarettes, a product that kills when used as indicated, are freely available to people 18 years or older.