In Drug War, Majority of Americans Support Treatment, Not Prosecution Jake Miller - CBS News
go to original April 2, 2014

Women hold sign along with a US and Mexican flag in front of the US Capitol in Washington on September 10, 2012 during the "Caravan for Peace," across the United States, a month-long campaign to protest the brutal drug war in Mexico and the US. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GettyImages)

A strong majority of Americans now favor more lenient, less punitive drug laws, according to a new poll from the Pew Center for People and the Press.

67 percent of Americans believe that the government should focus more on providing treatment to users of hard drugs like cocaine and heroine, according to the survey, while only 26 percent believe the government should focus on prosecuting users.

And by an almost two-to-one margin, Americans say the gradual movement away from mandatory minimum sentencing requirements for non-violent drug crimes is a good thing: 63 percent embrace the shift, while only 32 percent object. In 2001, Americans were about evenly divided on the question.

Several states in recent years have moved away from mandatory minimum sentencing requirements. Between 2009 and 2013, 40 states eased drug laws in some fashion, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.

There is currently a bipartisan effort afoot in Congress to do the same at the federal level. Proponents say the change would help law enforcement concentrate precious time and resources on more serious crimes while giving users the chance to be rehabilitated instead of incarcerated.

Read the rest at CBS News

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