The War on Drugs began in the United States in 1971, when President Richard Nixon declared war. President Nixon expanded the number of federal drug control agencies, increased mandatory sentences for drug offenders, and used no-knock warrants to try to control the problem. It has been more than forty years since President Nixon declared war on drugs. Has America won the war on drugs? Is it time to legalize illegal drugs in this country? What are other countries doing about drugs? The author will examine the history of the war on drugs in this country, how other countries deal with drugs, list the positive and negative aspects of legalizing illegal drugs, and give his opinion on whether drugs should be decriminalized or not.HistoryThe recognition that there was a drug problem in the United States dating back to the 1800s, when the first anti-drug laws were established. These drug laws were established in part because of specific ethnic groups associated with particular drugs, Chinese opium, black cocaine, and Mexican marijuana. “The first anti-opium laws in the 1870s targeted Chinese immigrants. The first anti-cocaine laws, passed in the South in the 1900s, targeted black men. Anti-marijuana laws, in effect in the Midwest and Southwest in the 1910s and 20s, were directed against Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans” (www.drugpolicy.org). The so-called “war on drugs” was declared in 1971 by President Richard. Nixon. President Nixon significantly increased the staffing and front-line presence of several federal drug control agencies. President Nixon used tactics such as mandatory sentencing for drug offenders and no-knock middle of paper......year must end. Works Cited Bolton, G. (October 16, 2012). Drug legalization in Latin America: could it be the answer? Hemispheric Affairs Council. Retrieved from http://www.coha.org/drug-legalization in-latin-america-could-ti-be-the-answer. Giambra, J. (May 11, 2006). Drug laws don't work; it's time to try to legalize them. Buffalo News. Kapp, C. (2003). Switzerland is debating whether to legalize cannabis. The Lancet, 362(9388), 970. Kopala, M. (2007). Fridge madness. Journal of the Canadian Medical Association, 177(8), 988. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2014, January). Drug Facts: Marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana.We are the Drug Policy Alliance. (2014, February). A Brief History of the War on Drugs. Retrieved from http://www.drugpolicy.org/new-solutions-drug-policy/brief-history-drug-war.