Gov. Chris Christie tells voters: 'The war on drugs has been a failure'

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 4 August 2015

At the Voters First Presidential Forum in New Hampshire on Monday, Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) said that the country needs to "embrace" people who are addicted to alcohol and drugs, and provide rehabilitation instead of jail.

Christie was asked by moderator Jack Heath why more isn't being done for people with drug and alcohol addictions. The governor said that his state was "the first in the country to say for non-violent drug offenders no more prison. They're going to mandatory in-patient drug treatment, because this is a disease. The war on drugs has been a failure — well-intentioned, but a failure."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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