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The United States has been reluctant to follow this lead for multiple reasons. For one, they claim that the legalization of drugs would severely inflate the drug problem. This statement directly contests with the result of the policy in countries that have implemented it. These countries have shown no increase in drug use or other negative side effects. Some countries have even implemented "needle transfer" programs, where drug users can get clean needles to avoid the spread of transmittable diseases. These countries have shown a slight decrease in HIV and other similarly transferred diseases without a significant increase in drug usage. To add emphasis to the point : Among developed countries in the world, the United States has one of the strictest drug policies. Among developed countries in the world, the United States has one of the highest percentages of active drug users. .
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The drug laws currently in place in this country are not only an ineffective and inappropriate method of control, they a large portion of the country does not agree with. In this land of democracy and the adage of "every single vote counts", it's surprising that our elected officials are ignoring a large portion of their constituents. The federal government has a strict "no drugs" policy in force. Drug crimes can be prosecuted under federal law and offenders can be put into federal prison. The laws of the nation, if they are applied to the nation, should be made up by the opinions of those who live in that nation. The drug laws of this nation are horribly out of sync with the view of the populace. As of April 22, 2001, the population of the United States was 284,049,859. The estimate for Americans aged 12 and over who have tried drugs is 87.7 million. The amount of people in this country who have found drugs to be acceptable enough to "experiment" with them is over 30%!.
It is insanity for the government to continue prosecuting and destroying the lives of it's citizens in complete non-recognition of this.
