10 Uplifting Stories from 2015 that Show the War on Drugs is in RetreatBy Justin Gardner The misery can be summed up in mass incarceration, creating a violent black market, and denying people effective treatments for medical conditions. The War on Drugs has been the primary factor driving a staggering increase in the US prison population, which quadrupled since 1980 to a point in 2008 where more than 1 in 100 adults were incarcerated. During that time, mandatory minimum sentences were put in place to deal out harsh penalties for victimless crimes. While users and street dealers were thrown in cages, the black market for drugs grew into a monster with the help of corrupt government agencies such as Border Patrol. Just as Western medicine began realizing the usefulness of cannabis and psychedelics for treating a wide range of physical and mental problems, prohibition shut down scientific advancement. Denying these treatments to citizens, and denying their right to ingest any substance they want, denies basic human rights. It could be construed as a crime against humanity. While government carried out its war on people, their financiers in the pharmaceutical industry got a nation addicted to prescription pills, which are now causing an epidemic of death and addiction. Criminalizing cannabis and other plant-based substances has led to the emergence of truly dangerous drugs such as spice (synthetic cannabis) and flakka. However, there is hope. Here are 10 big stories in 2015 that show we may have reached the tipping point in ending the War on Drugs. About 6,000 inmates were released from federal prison in early November. This is only the start, as upwards of 46,000 non-violent drug offenders are set to be released after the US Sentencing Commission reformed its stance on drug sentencing. Also, the Justice Department instructed its prosecutors not to charge low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who have no connection to gangs or large-scale drug organizations with offenses that carry severe mandatory sentences. The results of a Gallup poll released in October show that a solid majority of Americans say cannabis use should be legal in the US. This is the highest percentage in 46 years, and is consistent with other state and national polls. Despite this, more than 700,000 people were arrested for cannabis in 2014, mostly for simple possession. Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, repeated the promise that his government will legalize and regulate cannabis. In his remarks, Trudeau said this will fix a failed system and remove the criminal element. They will be looking to Colorado and Washington, which just legalized recreational use, in developing the Canadian model. In early November, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled in favor of plaintiffs, saying that cannabis prohibition violated the right to the free development of personality. This follows on the heels of Mexicos first-ever legal medical cannabis patient, allowing its treatment for an 8-year-old girl suffering constant seizures. These two states became the first in the US to end civil asset forfeiture, where cops can steal cash and assets on the mere suspicion of wrongdoing, with no conviction of a crime. This policing for profit is one of the most insidious practices of law enforcement and is enabled mostly by the war on drugs. Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration, a group of more than 130 police chiefs, prosecutors, and sheriffs, in October said too many people are in jail and alternatives to arrest need to be explored. They lambasted zero tolerance policies for possession of small amounts of drugs and called for an end to mandatory minimum sentencing. New York is emerging as the nexus in a movement for supervised injection facilitiesso that IV drug users can have a safe, clean environment. This would reduce the growing number of overdose deaths while providing drug treatment options. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that these facilities can solve a host of public health and public disorder problems. On Veterans Day, senators took the surprising action of voting to give Veterans Affairs doctors the ability to prescribe medical cannabis in states where it is legal. Science shows that medical cannabis offers promising treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other problems that soldiers face when returning from active duty. When Pope Francis visited the US in September, he criticized many policies of the US, including its War on Drugs. He described how prohibition creates a corruption which has penetrated to the different levels of social, political, military, artistic and religious life. The pope even visited a prisoner whose only crime was being caught with cannabis. In November, addressing reporters on the issue of medical cannabis, DEA Chief Chuck Rosenbergbaselessly stated, What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal, because its not. We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but dont call it medicine. That is a joke. Why should this ludicrous statement, contradicted by a vast body of scientific research, be considered hopeful news? It shows the desperation of the last remaining holdouts from a primitive era, and brings attention to the absurdity of those who lead the drug war. The calls for Rosenbergs resignation were swift and furious. Justin Gardner writes for TheFreeThoughtProject.com This article sounds like a George Soros plug. Which black market did the victimless criminals support when they were buying, transporting or selling? What does it matter what folks wish to partake alcohol has destroyed countless lives. you rad men, Jesus loves you! 