At a press conference on June 18, 1971, Pres. Richard Nixon announced the launch of the War on Drugs, a global campaign to combat the illicit narcotics trade. But after spending more than a trillion dollars on the effort and locking up one of its citizens for drug possession every 25 seconds, the United States is still no closer to ending the scourge of drug abuse.
Here’s the good news: This week, on the 50th anniversary of Nixon’s announcement, lawmakers introduced legislation that offers a radical new approach to solving the drug crisis.
Also:
• Delaware is about to make its U.S. Senators eat crow on the issue of paying workers a living wage.
• The so-called “third installment in our epic Affordable Care Act trilogy” turned out to have a happy ending.
• Another fossil fuel plant bites the dust.
• The executive branch’s sprawling military powers could be reigned in, thanks to a new bill.
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