A recent Pew poll discovered that a majority of Americans support marijuana legalization, and 75 percent of Americans believe that marijuana legalization is inevitable, whether or not they support it. Yet underlying these statistics is a gross misunderstanding of drug policy; the drug debate is generally premised on the false dichotomy of two equally ineffective solutions: prohibition and legalization.

Prohibition has been the de facto position of the American government since the Nixon administration first initiated the War on Drugs in 1971. Although in place for over forty years, it has been largely unsuccessful in its intended purpose of supply-side interdiction, intercepting drugs prior to their entry into America. Theoretically, this should drive up drug prices by lowering supply in the midst of a relatively constant demand. Even as drug seizures of marijuana and heroin have increased by 465 percent and 29 percent from 1990 to 2010, the prices of marijuana, cocaine and heroin have decreased by an average of 80 percent. Thus, it seems the theoretical approach is fundamentally flawed.

Compounding discontent with current American drug prohibition is the overflowing prison population, a population disproportionately skewed towards racial minorities and providing few viable alternatives for uneducated and unskilled inmates to escape the illicit drug industry. Punitive measures are proving ineffective—a 2011 study by Pew stated that the national recidivism rate was over 40 percent, meaning roughly two in every 5 convicts will return to jail in a period of three years. Upon release from prison, almost 80 percent of drug abusers commit a new crime, and around 90 percent relapse into drug abuse. Finally, the current War on Drugs costs the US economy an estimated $193 billion each year in terms of crime, health and lost economic activity.

Many policymakers believe that the remedy to these social, criminal justice and economic problems is the legalization of marijuana. Legalization would theoretically prevent problems like prison overcrowding and disproportionate drug enforcement on minorities, and reduce recidivism by no longer making drug use and possession an arrestable offense. Furthermore, policymakers reason that marijuana sales could be taxed and used as an additional source of up to $9 billion in revenue by local, state, and federal governments.

Yet legalization would fail to address many of the root causes of these problems, namely the scourges of under-education and drug addiction. Legalization would undoubtedly cause drug use to increase, simultaneously increasing the rates of drug-related diseases, addiction and death. The proposed “revenue” on marijuana sales is also a chimera, because the money earned is outweighed by social costs. For example, taxes on alcohol raised $9 billion in the US last year, but the costs of alcohol legalization were $185 billion in terms of health, crime and lost productivity. All things considered, alcohol costs the US $176 billion annually. Marijuana would likely have a similar effect on society. Indeed, legalizing marijuana clearly comes with its own set of risks, and marijuana legalization is not really the panacea it proclaims to be.

Too often drug policy is constrained by “either/or” thinking that makes drug policy a zero-sum game between legalization and prohibition. In actuality, what exists is a full spectrum of possibilities ranging from even more draconian drug laws to regulation of drugs by the free market. Along the spectrum any number of intermediary possibilities exist that would improve on the current prohibitionist system without necessarily legalizing drugs.

One of the most promising approaches is the decriminalization of marijuana pioneered in Portugal. (It is important to note that the ambiguity of the drug debate lexicon leads people to use decriminalization, depenalization and legalization interchangeably. However, decriminalization in the Portuguese context simply implies the removal of criminal penalties from drug possession and use.) Portugal has kept drugs illegal while simultaneously imposing administrative penalties like fines, community service, and rehabilitation on drug users and abusers. It is only in the event of non-compliance that criminal penalties come into effect. The buying, selling and trafficking of drugs also remains illegal, and law enforcement can better concentrate their resources on minimizing these activities.

Portugal’s program of decriminalization is further accompanied by a public health approach to drug use, focusing on rehabilitating and re-educating offenders to provide them with a pathway out of addiction. The multi-faceted program has proven largely effective: the prevalence of most drugs and drug usage in key demographics has mostly decreased, and the level of drug trafficking (as determined by the number of convictions) has also decreased. Finally, the number of individuals seeking treatment has increased while the prevalence of drug-related diseases (e.g. AIDS), addictions and deaths has significantly decreased.

Pope Francis was clear about the Catholic Church’s stance on drug legalization in his first official visit to Brazil, stating, “A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various parts of Latin America. Rather, it is necessary to confront the problems underlying the use of these drugs, by promoting greater justice, educating young people in the values that build up life in society, accompanying those in difficulty and giving them hope for the future. We all need to look upon one another with the loving eyes of Christ, and to learn to embrace those in need, in order to show our closeness, affection and love.”

Pope Francis’ comments have wrongly been interpreted to condemn the Portuguese model, when they are actually directed at countries such as Uruguay who have completely legalized drug use. The beauty of Portugal’s program is in its holism; it addresses drug addiction from all angles and seeks to uproot the problem at its source rather than applying a remedy aimed only at alleviating the symptoms. Portugal focuses on the inherent dignity and worth of the human person, providing justice via rehabilitation in a way that promotes both the good of each individual and the common good. Rehabilitation aids each individual by accompanying them in their difficulty and providing hope for the future. Decriminalization, properly understood, is therefore a much more Christ-like approach to drug users and abusers than the current prohibitionist policies of the US, and it has been proven more effective through its implementation in Portugal.

Although Americans believe marijuana legalization is inevitable, this would not be the case if viable alternatives outside of the dichotomous thinking about drug policy are acknowledged. Words and definitions are essential to the debate, and carelessness in word use has perpetuated much confusion surrounding drug policy solutions. Political problems all have a solution, but it can only be realized if one is able to understand completely the evidence and essential terms of the debate. It is therefore important to educate oneself about fundamental definitions and innovative approaches to current political debates in order to fully, holistically understand alternative workable policies outside of the constrictions of banal, unrefined and mainstreamed thinking.

Bob Burkett is a current Jesuit Volunteer residing in Detroit and working at Covenant House Michigan. For questions, comments, or concerns he can be reached at rburkett@alumni.nd.edu.