Howard Rahtz

One line in this book really stood out for me: "Filling the jails with people for drug offenses is not an indicator of success but instead is a sign of our failure to effectively deal with the problem."

Yet we continue to fill our prisons to overflowing. Then we build more prisons. And still it's not enough.

Howard Rahtz lays out the facts, making it impossible to argue that our forty year war on drugs has been successful on any level. A lot of information is packed into this relatively short book. Rahtz examines the history of alcohol prohibition, the Mexican drug cartels, prison versus rehabilitation for addicts, and so much more. He talks about the drug laws of other countries, highlighting what has worked and what hasn't. Finally, he offers a thoughtful and well researched plan of action.

As a retired police captain who also worked with drug intervention, Howard Rahtz is in a unique position to offer an expert opinion on the drug problem here in the U.S. This is an important book that needs to be read by everyone.… (meer)