Losing the "War on Drugs"

Los Angeles Times:

The United States and its Latin American allies are losing a major battle in the war on drugs, according to indicators that show cocaine prices dipped for most of 2006 and U.S. users were getting more bang for their buck.

Despite billions of dollars in U.S. antidrug spending and record seizures, statistics recently released by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy suggest that cocaine is as available as ever.

It's long past time we switched to a policy of: legalize, regulate, tax, and educate. The social damage will be much less. For the record: I've not so much as smoked a joint in more than two decades. One doesn't have to use drugs to want them legalized. Given the results, one might suggest that the ones on drugs are those who actually support the current policy.