Medical literature overwhelmingly confirms the beneficial use of marijuana in treating glaucoma, and in minimizing the adverse reaction to chemotherapy. Try taking away someone's cigarettes or his thrice-daily cup of coffee, versus the same guy's marijuana. The criminal-justice system now uses more informants to obtain drug convictions, and authorizes more wiretaps to track down traffickers. New Mexico governor Gary Johnson courageously calls for the legalization of drugs. But after his announcement, his popularity rating fell from 60 percent to 49 percent.
Politicians do read polls.
So, the war continues, largely because a compliant media keeps the American people ignorant about the war's true cost. In the end, this public ignorance remains the White House's biggest ally.