“The House I Live In” has a collection of highly informed and articulate interview subjects who have decades of research and practice on the topic. The war on drugs is expensive and it hasn't worked. In reality it has destroyed families and communities. It primarily targets the poor and minorities and has filled prisons with many nonviolent offenders, most of whom are serving insanely long sentences. The director makes a well-reasoned argument that society would be better served if most drug offenders were reformed rather than imprisoned. While the war on drugs is synonymous with the Reagan administration for many, it was actually officially launched under Richard Nixon. Of the 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States, more than 500,000 are for nonviolent drug crimes. Meanwhile, the amount of drug use has remained relatively constant, and in some areas has even increased. The industry that supports the penal system has grown enormously and has become the largest employer in many communities. The legal system that supports the industry has cooperated with irrat...