“When The New York Times says we should legalize marijuana, I think maybe I should re-evaluate my position,” jokes Reason senior editor Jacob Sullum, who spoke with Reason TV about the remarkable evolution of national drug policy over the last 25 years.
During the “Just Say No!” years of the 1980s, less than a quarter of Americans supported the legalization of marijuana. Today, even presidential candidates eager to claim the legacy of drug warrior Ronald Reagan are relaxing their views on prohibition.
“When they repealed alcohol prohibition, it was left up to the states what to do with alcohol,” says Sullum. “And so you have most of the Republican presidential candidates saying the federal government should not interfere if the states want to legalize. That’s really an amazing development.”