As filmaker Eugene Jarecki notes in The Nation, over forty years of prosecuting the “war on drugs” has cost a trillion dollars and accounted for 45 million drug arrests. Yet, for all that, America has nothing to show but a legacy of failure and increased addiction. The answer? End the war on drugs.

A good place to start in ending the so-called war on drugs is to urge Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition and to begin to bring the currently unregulated and profitable marijuana market under the rule of law, helping curb the crime, violence and out-of-control youth access that flourish under the current prohibition. After weighing in, share this post with your friends, family and Twitter and Facebook communities.

This NPR time-line on the war on drugs offers a powerful sense of the long-term futility of the campaign.

Jarecki’s film is a probing investigative look at America’s war on drugs and its impact on both the criminal justice system and individual families.

A weekly guide to meaningful action, this blog connects readers with resources to channel the outrage so many feel after reading about abuses of power and privilege. Far from a comprehensive digest of all worthy groups working on behalf of the social good, Take Action seeks to shine a bright light on one concrete step that Nation readers can take each week. To broaden the conversation, we’ll publish a weekly follow-up post detailing the response and featuring additional campaigns and initiatives that we hope readers will check out. Toward that end, please use the comments field to give us ideas. With your help, we can make real change.