Donald Trump Puts Teeth, and Drones, Behind Nancy Reagan's 'Just Say No' Policy

<![CDATA[It began innocently enough in 1982 when a schoolgirl asked former First Lady Nancy Reagan what she should do if someone offered her drugs. Mrs. Reagan smiled and said the immortal words, "Just say no." Four years later, the Just Say No campaign began a Quixotic quest to bend the demand curve in the United States for illicit drugs. The campaign eventually morphed into D.A.R.E, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, and by the mid-2000's, upwards of a billion dollars had been spent through various grants and other programs attempting to break the cycle of drug abuse by targeting kids early about the dangers and evils of narcotics. Mrs. Reagan's simplistic answer to the child was mocked and ridiculed by the left for decades as being too naive to be taken seriously. On the practical front, the drug war, if it was ever going to be fought effectively, had to be a two-front war. It couldn't just be a demand-side campaign, although that very much needs to continue. At some point, the supply chain had to be interdicted as well, something that, despite both political parties talking a good game over the years, never really accomplished anything productive to stop the flow of illegal drugs into this country. I understand the libertarian argument - legalize drugs, and the problem will eventually work itself out. I'm here to tell you that, as a Californian, anything is virtually legal for the simple reason that the state doesn't prosecute drug offenses to the fullest extent of the law. So for all intents and purposes, it's wide open. And this is the result you get. ]]>