The better idea is that drug offenders are put in treatment instead of prison. This way we don't have to pay for them to be in jail for years, and there is less chance of them re-offending. I don't know the specifics, but we'll find out. Ok, I've got Mr. Boyd on the line. Seems to be turning into a nice economy.
Treatment can actually turn people into productive citizens.
Prison will do nothing but make people more likely to do worse crimes in the future. The majority of the people in America don't support legalization, but the majority do support this idea of not using prisons to deal with drugs. It depends on the problem. Brief for some people and more lengthy for others. Some states want to define treatment more broadly.