Q: Why is tobacco legal? It fits in to Schedule I in every aspect, and marijuana seems more to lean more towards Schedule III than I.

A: Tobacco has never been considered a drug (although it contains the drug, nicotine). Schedule I drugs are those considered highly addictive and without medicinal value. If tobacco were placed, it would certainly be a Schedule I drug.

The initial decision to place marijuana in Schedule I (along with heroin) was political, having nothing to do with the health effects of cannabis, as it is neither highly addictive nor lacking medicinal value. Over the past decade, many activists have lobbied to place marijuana in Schedule II (with cocaine) so it could be used medicinally.

One of the greatest contradictions of our drug policy is the fact that tobacco cigarettes, which cause the death of hundreds of thousands each year, are perfectly legal, while marijuana, which is neither addictive nor deadly, remains illegal.

Q: I am 15 and now really confused about drugs. I saw the episode of Penn and Tellers “Bullshit!” about the War on Drugs and they said that the government is basically pumping us with bad information about drugs; that keeping them illegal is a bad idea; and that they should legalize drugs and lots of other anti-government stuff. I am not really interested in that though. What really freaked me out was that they said that the things that they were telling us in school and the commercials they had on TV was basically a bunch of propaganda made to scare us into not doing drugs. I personally have no interest in doing drugs (actually I'm so sheltered I don't even know how people buy them), but I don't want to be lied to so that I won't do drugs. My parents don't really tell me all that much about drugs because they know as much as I do and think I am smart enough to avoid them. So I don't talk to them all that much about drugs. So I did some research and found this site and was wondering if you could give me a site that won't feed me a bunch of stuff like “a joint is as bad a four cigarettes” and “crack is whack.” If you could show me some credible websites for teens too, I would really appreciate it.

I agree that much of the information in school programs and anti-drug ads is not reliable, and that the war on drugs is doing more harm than good. We have balanced fact sheets about drugs available on our website.

I would also recommend strongly that you read, From Chocolate to Morphine: Everything You Need to Know about Mind-Altering Drugs, by Andrew Weil, MD and Winifred Rosen, which contains lots of reliable information.

You asked about websites. Our parent organization, Drug Policy Alliance, has a very good website. Basically, just be sure that ANY site you visit presents you with balanced information. Any site that is 100% one way or another is not a good source of information, because the issue of drugs and drug use is complicated.

I believe your choice to abstain is a very good one, as is your decision to get reliable information.

Q: What was the first organization to start the war on drugs, the director, goals, social structure, and budget?

A: The drug war became an explicit policy of the federal government during the Nixon administration. During the 1968 election campaign Nixon, in a speech at Disneyland (of all places), laid down the elements of a war on drugs as the "capstone of his law and order campaign" (see Baum, Dan, "Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure" p. 11-12). The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was established by the Congress in 1973 as part of Nixon's overall war plan. Implementation of the war was initially the responsibility of White House aide John Erlichman. A grass roots organization that later took the name Parents Research Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE) was a major influence in promoting youth policy under in the Ford and later Carter administration, especially under drug czar Lee Dogoloff.

The book by Dan Baum (a former Wall Street Journal reporter) tells the whole story in fascinating detail.

Q: If 32% of 12th graders have easy access to heroin why are the warehouses that must be in every major city to accomplish this marketing not being busted?

A: For the same reason that cops did not bust every still during Prohibition -- there's no way a law enforcement strategy can seriously stop this black market.

Q: Why is the “War on Drugs” still being fought in America, while in Europe drug policy is taking a softer approach that has better results?

A: You are partly right about a softer approach in Europe, although there is significant variation there as well. Sweden, for example, is well behind some other countries, especially Holland.

This is not an easy question to answer in a few words, because it requires analysis of US history and culture rather than reference to objective “facts.” In brief, there has always been a sense of “exceptionally” in the US. Many Americans believe that the nation was created to showcase democracy to the rest of the world, and more broadly, that it has a special role to play as an example to other nations. This sense of mission combines with strong conservative currents that have a very powerful influence on government, but relatively little in popular culture, especially the media. A much higher percentage of Americans characterize themselves as religious than is the case in Europe, especially in the West. In short, Puritanism is alive and well here in America long after its founders left Britain for Holland and then America! Puritanism seeks perfection. It is intolerant of differences in lifestyle. Hence, the national policy on drugs reflects the principle of “zero tolerance.” The rest is predictable.