War on Drugs

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So the War on Drugs and Drug Prohibition have been getting a lot of attention lately...specifically because California is very close to legalizing it for recreational use in November. $1,673.45 is spent every second of every day by the government on the war on drugs. John Stossel, my libertarian hero, did a recent hour long show on drug prohibition. The evidence supporting the failure of the War on Drugs is overwhelming. Here's an article by Stossel on how drug prohibition spawns drug violence: http://www.creators.com/opinion/john-stossel/prohibition-spawns-drug-violence.html Essentially, the argument about drug violence is that it is the prohibition of drugs that creates the violence...not the drugs. Since drug dealers can not settle disputes or report theft of property legally, they must protect it violently. If drugs were legal, they could be regulated. The dosage could be controlled, the availability to youth would be lessened (drug dealers don't check IDs), and the government could tax the sales. Also, our police officers could be freed up to take care of murder, rape, robbery, etc. Here's a study done where South Dakota teens have said it's easier to get weed than alcohol: http://stash.norml.org/south-dakota-teens-say-marijuana-easier-to-get-than-alcohol Here's facts comparing drug usage in the US as opposed to Amsterdam (where it's legal)...be sure to look at the table on the bottom: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/node/67 Here's a video of a SWAT team breaking into a guys house and shooting his dogs, and the guy only had a small amount of marijuana (warning: graphic language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbwSwvUaRqc In addition to the statistics, this is a issue of personal freedoms and responsibility. This topic appeals to me because IMO it's a blatant disregard for personal liberties. Furthermore, when the US banned alcohol it required a constitutional amendment...with drug prohibition, none was required. Supposedly, with the federal debt rising to absurd numbers, the end of prohibition would help by bringing in tax revenue and prevent the government from spending billions on it (it is around $20 billion per year). So what do you guys think? For or against the War on Drugs? Do you think that it violates the rights of American citizens to decide what to put in their own bodies? Or does the government have a right to protect us from ourselves? Is the government waging war on its own citizens? This is a topic that doesn't necessarily have differing opinions based on party lines. What do you guys think about California legalizing pot for recreational use?