AMERICANS SAY DRUG WAR SHOULD CONTINUE, POLLS SHOW

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Surveys over the last two decades show most Americans
believe the government's ``war on drugs'' has failed but that more money
should be spent on it, researchers said Tuesday.

In a study summarizing 47 national surveys conducted over the past 20 years,
researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that 78 percent of
the public believes anti-drug efforts have failed and that 66 percent were
willing to pay more taxes to fight drug use.

More than half those surveyed thought the drug problem had grown worse.

``Despite this assessment, they continue to support greater resources being
expended in generally the same policy direction as has been followed in the
past,'' researchers Robert Blendon and John Young wrote in the Journal of
the American Medical Association.

Roughly 60 percent of those polled supported allowing physicians to
prescribe medical marijuana for seriously ill patients.

About two-thirds thought illegal drug use was morally wrong, while 82
percent rated illegal drug use as a big problem for society.

Just 27 percent thought it was a major problem in their communities and 81
percent said drug abuse never caused problems in their own families.

Among 19 options designed to reduce the use and effect of illegal drugs, the
largest share of public support was for more severe penalties for dealing
and possession, followed by more anti-drug education and increased funding
for police.

Only 14 percent of the public supported drug legalization, and slightly more
than half said they believe drug-related crime would rise if drugs were
legalized.

The report estimated that illicit drugs led to about 11,000 deaths annually
in the United States. The U.S. government annually spends about $27 billion
directly on fighting the war on drugs, it said.