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Back when he only held the title of Senator, Barack Obama had already taken a firm stance on the complex drug and minority incarceration problem in America.

DETAILS: End The War On Drug

During a January 2004 debate at Northwestern University, he said this:

“The war on drugs has been an utter failure. We need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws. We need to rethink how we’re operating the drug war.

Currently, we are not doing a good job.”

That was nine years ago, when the U.S. was the leader for drug-related incarcerations. Today, we remain in that position.

In fact, over four decades, the U.S. has made over 45 million drug arrests, none of which have reduced the availability of drugs. In fact, they have done the opposite; overcrowd prisons, cost American taxpayers billions of dollars, and most detrimental of all, destroy minority communities.

All of which President Obama has noticed. And while we haven’t forgotten his statement from 2004, neither has he.

Late last year, the President acknowledged that his administration largely pushed aside the issue, but during his second-term, Obama has alluded that he is dedicated to use whatever power he has to end the war on drugs.

BLOG: The War On Drugs Is A War On America! Time To End It! by Russell Simmons

He has said that he wants to treat the nation’s drug problem as a public health issue, as well as a law enforcement issue. He stresses that nonviolent drug offenders should be given a second chance, not through jail, but through rehabilitation.

Additionally, his administration has supported drug courts, which will allow low-level drug offenders to have their charges dropped if they successfully complete a court-monitored drug program.

But, President Obama can’t do it alone.

GlobalGrind is committed to ending the war on drugs in order to uplift the people, take back the streets, and redistribute resources and funds that are continuously wasted on this systematic weapon of war against these communities.

Join us at #EndTheWarOnDrugs to see how you can get involved and push President Obama’s original agenda to the forefront.