Doing the same thing expecting a different result doesn’t work

Pete Guither is rightly disappointed in Barack Obama, who said in Miami a few days ago:

When I am President, we will continue the Andean Counter-Drug Program, and update it to meet evolving challenges. […]

Mexican drug cartels are terrorizing cities and towns. President Calderon was right to say that enough is enough. We must support Mexico’s effort to crack down. […]

And we’ll tie our support to clear benchmarks for drug seizures, corruption prosecutions, crime reduction, and kingpins busted. […]

We need tougher border security, and a renewed focus on busting up gangs and traffickers crossing our border. […]

And we’ll crack down on the demand for drugs in our own communities, and restore funding for drug task forces and the COPS program.

These are the same tired old policies that don’t work, Barack.

It’s time for an end to the War on Drugs mentality. For all the victims it creates, it does not reduce drug abuse, but increases the attendant harms. We should instead seek to reduce harm with our public policy.