Bill O'Reilly disses Tony Bennett and sneers at Whitney Houston in lame defense of failed war on drugs

In his hit piece, O'Reilly pretends to know in advance of the release of autopsy results that only legal drugs were in Houston's body, even though it is well known that she had a history of illegal crack use.
     O'Reilly also asserts that every long-time user of drugs wants to die, ticking off various dead drug-addled celebrities, but ignoring renowned substance abuser and fellow right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh.

Tony Bennett is right, and Bill O'Reilly is wrong. A study by the Cato Institute, reported in Time Magazine, confirms it.

Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.

     The Cato paper reports that between 2001 and 2006 in Portugal, rates of lifetime use of any illegal drug among seventh through ninth graders fell from 14.1% to 10.6%; drug use in older teens also declined. Lifetime heroin use among 16-to-18-year-olds fell from 2.5% to 1.8% (although there was a slight increase in marijuana use in that age group). New HIV infections in drug users fell by 17% between 1999 and 2003, and deaths related to heroin and similar drugs were cut by more than half. In addition, the number of people on methadone and buprenorphine treatment for drug addiction rose to 14,877 from 6,040, after decriminalization, and money saved on enforcement allowed for increased funding of drug-free treatment as well.