DPA & ACLU New Poll Shows 66% Of Americans Support All-Drug Decriminalization Ahead Of 50th Anniversary Of The 'War On Drugs'

Two-thirds of Americans now support all-drug decriminalization, according to a new survey from the Drug Policy Alliance and the ACLU.

The new data was released on Wednesday ahead of the 50th anniversary of Pres. Nixon's June 17, 1971 declaration of the “war on drugs.”

The survey shows that 66% of Americans would support eliminating all criminal penalties for drug possession and redirecting resources toward a public health approach.

Moreover, 83% of respondents said they think the "War on Drugs" has failed.

Eighty-two percent of Republicans believe that the War on Drugs is a failure, followed by  83% of Democrats and 85% of Independents.

Respondents also said the President and Congress should "reform the country's drug laws."

A total of 82% of Americans favor that view, including 76% of Republicans, 79% of Independents, and 92% of Democrats.

"Even as we celebrate these groundbreaking victories, we understand that there is still much work to be done," said Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, who noted that in 2019 alone there were over 1.5 million drug arrests, the vast majority for simple possession.

Bully Pulpit Interactive conducted the poll between May 17-20, 2021, among 800 registered voters.

The Drug Policy Alliance released a new legislative proposal last year, fifty years after the enactment of the Controlled Substances Act.

The proposal, titled "Dismantling the Federal Drug War: A Comprehensive Drug Decriminalization Framework," suggests eliminating criminal penalties and reinvesting the saved resources into treatment and addiction services.

Fifty Year Drug War Drags On  

"As we mark the grim 50-year anniversary of Nixon’s war on drugs, the harms are tragically clear—the drug war is a dangerous tool of racial and social control. It has seeped into every aspect of our society from policing to education to housing to immigration," Frederique said. 

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