Opponents of reforming drug laws have often tried to dismiss our argument as some sort of carefully crafted conspiracy by "well-funded", "pro-drug" organizations seeking to manipulate the public into naively embracing their nefarious agenda. But the truth is that the movement to reform our drug policy is far bigger than the organizations or individuals behind it. It is just self-evident that our approach to drug abuse is deeply defective and anyone can figure that out on their own just by looking around.

Here's how New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof described his decision to write a piece on the merits of legalizing drugs:

"It's been a gradual process," said Kristof about his thinking leading to the decision to confront the issue. "I think that the economy being a particular mess makes me a little more skeptical about spending vast amounts of money incarcerating people on drugs, and then I think the degree to which Mexico has been erupting also has made me wonder." [Huffington Post]

This is beautifully simply and logical. Why are we spending all this money putting people in prison to stop them from using drugs? Why is Mexican drug war violence worse than ever after decades of aggressive drug war strategies that were aimed at reducing violence? Nicholas Kristof isn’t the only one who's just now beginning to think about it this way.

You could support the drug war your entire life and then wake up one morning asking yourself these questions.