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From         the Administrator
**Fact         1: We have made significant progress in fighting drug use and drug trafficking         in America. Now is not the time to abandon our efforts.**

The Legalization         Lobby claims that the fight against drugs cannot be won. However, overall         drug use is down by more than a third in the last twenty years, while         cocaine use has dropped by an astounding 70 percent. Ninety-five percent         of Americans do not use drugs. This is success by any standards. 

**Fact         2: A balanced approach of prevention, enforcement, and treatment is the         key in the fight against drugs.**

A successful drug         policy must apply a balanced approach of prevention, enforcement and treatment.         All three aspects are crucial. For those who end up hooked on drugs, there         are innovative programs, like Drug Treatment Courts, that offer non-violent         users the option of seeking treatment. Drug Treatment Courts provide court         supervision, unlike voluntary treatment centers. 

**Fact         3: Illegal drugs are illegal because they are harmful.**

There is a growing         misconception that some illegal drugs can be taken safely. For example,         savvy drug dealers have learned how to market drugs like Ecstasy to youth.         Some in the Legalization Lobby even claim such drugs have medical value,         despite the lack of conclusive scientific evidence.

**Fact         4: Smoked marijuana is not scientifically approved medicine. Marinol,         the legal version of medical marijuana, is approved by science.**

According to the         Institute of Medicine, there is no future in smoked marijuana as medicine.         However, the prescription drug Marinol—a legal and safe version of         medical marijuana which isolates the active ingredient of THC—has         been studied and approved by the Food & Drug Administration as safe         medicine. The difference is that you have to get a prescription for Marinol         from a licensed physician. You can’t buy it on a street corner, and         you don’t smoke it. 

**Fact         5: Drug control spending is a minor portion of the U.S. budget. Compared         to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction, government spending on         drug control is minimal.**

The Legalization         Lobby claims that the United States has wasted billions of dollars in         its anti-drug efforts. But for those kids saved from drug addiction, this         is hardly wasted dollars. Moreover, our fight against drug abuse and addiction         is an ongoing struggle that should be treated like any other social problem.         Would we give up on education or poverty simply because we haven’t         eliminated all problems? Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and         addiction—whether in taxpayer dollars or in pain and suffering—government         spending on drug control is minimal.

**Fact         6: Legalization of drugs will lead to increased use and increased levels         of addiction. Legalization has been tried before, and failed miserably.**

Legalization has         been tried before—and failed miserably. Alaska’s experiment         with Legalization in the 1970s led to the state’s teens using marijuana         at more than twice the rate of other youths nationally. This led Alaska’s         residents to vote to re-criminalize marijuana in 1990.

**Fact         7: Crime, violence, and drug use go hand-in-hand.**

Crime, violence and         drug use go hand in hand. Six times as many homicides are committed by         people under the influence of drugs, as by those who are looking for money         to buy drugs. Most drug crimes aren’t committed by people trying         to pay for drugs; they’re committed by people on drugs.

**Fact         8: Alcohol has caused significant health, social, and crime problems in         this country, and legalized drugs would only make the situation worse.**

The Legalization         Lobby claims drugs are no more dangerous than alcohol. But drunk driving         is one of the primary killers of Americans. Do we want our bus drivers,         nurses, and airline pilots to be able to take drugs one evening, and operate         freely at work the next day? Do we want to add to the destruction by making         drugged driving another primary killer?

**Fact         9: Europe’s more liberal drug policies are not the right model for         America.**

The Legalization         Lobby claims that the “European Model” of the drug problem is         successful. However, since legalization of marijuana in Holland, heroin         addiction levels have tripled. And Needle Park seems like a poor model         for America.

**Fact         10: Most non-violent drug users get treatment, not jail time.**

The Legalization         Lobby claims that America’s prisons are filling up with users. Truth         is, only about 5 percent of inmates in federal prison are there because         of simple possession. Most drug criminals are in jail—even on possession         charges—because they have plea-bargained down from major trafficking         offences or more violent drug crimes.

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