Azia: Hey guys, it is Thursday,March 24. I am Azia Celestino, and Channel One News starts right now.
First up today, the manhunt continues.Investigators throughout Europe say that several people connected to the Brussels terror attacks are still on the loose. But the city of Brussels is a city with a spirit that is unbroken.
For Brussels, this is a time of paying respect to the victimsand also standing up to terrorism. A diverse crowd gathered in central Brussels beside a makeshift memorial to the bombing victims. Just two days ago,ISIS attacked the city's airport and rail station, killing at least 31 and injuring more than 250. At least a dozen Americans were injured.
Belgian authorities said at least four men carried out Tuesday's attacks. It is believed three of them died after detonating bombs. One is still on the run. Just yesterday the Associated Press reported that ISIS has trained 400 fighters to target Europe.And tomorrow Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to Belgium to voice U.S. support.
And Kerry's visit comes just as the U.S.State Department is warning of more risks to Europe.
Okay, coming up, the nationwide battle over the legalization of drugs.
Azia: We are wrapping up our series on the global fight against drugs, and it comes as our country is in the midst of change, with support for this long-running war fading away. Here is Tom Hanson with the final installment of the War on Drugs.
Erica Pilch: Tell me what kind of high you're looking for.
Tom: At this dispensary Erica Pilch says her staff can barely keep up with the demand for marijuana.
Pilch: We get them from all over, everywhere. You know, there’s people that travel two hours to come here.
Tom: That is because here in Colorado, it is legal. From the trees to cookies to chocolate to candy and even breath mints, the marijuana industry is booming and bringing in some serious green, an estimated $5.4 billionindustry in 2015.
It seems UncleSam’s long-running war on drugs is changing. Twenty-three states now allow some form of medical marijuana use. So far, 16 states have decriminalized marijuana, meaning you won't go to jail for simple possession, and 4 states and Washington,D.C., even consider recreational use legal for adults.
A 2015 Gallup poll found that nearly 60 percent of people in the United States support legal use of marijuana. Supporters like Ethan Nadelmann from the Drug Policy Alliance say it is a move in the right direction.
Ethan Nadelmann: When it comes to marijuana, I think the answer is legalization.
Tom: Nadelmann says not only are there medical benefits, but legalizing thisdrug would weaken cartels and drug gangs by taking the profits out of their hands and open an entirely new economy for the government.
Nadelmann: We're never going to take the profit out of drugs. The real question is are those profits going to be illegal and controlled by criminal organizations, or are those profits going to be legal and taxed and regulated?
Tom: But those against legalization say it sends the wrong message, especially to young people, and would lead to an increase in users.
Senator Chuck Grassley: Just like alcohol after Prohibition, it increased use of itby four times.The same thing is going to happen on drugs.
Tom: You think there are going to be more addicts, more drug use.
Grassley: I don't wanna say there’s more addicts, more this or that, but there’s going to be more drugs consumed.
Tom: And he is right. According to the National Survey ofDrug Use and Health, marijuana use has in fact risen among adults. For teens, however, marijuana use really hasn't changed at all since states began legalizing it. But here is where it gets tricky. While some states have legalized it, the federal laws haven't changed, which means that agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration are still seizing millions of pounds of marijuana.
How much weed is this?
DEA agent: That one’s only like a 25-pounder,I think.
Tom: Okay, this is only 25 pounds.
We are told the confiscated pot at this warehouse, which can hold millions of pounds when it is full, makes up just a tiny fraction of the total amount seized coming across the border by the DEA.
Sling it over your shoulder. Fifty pounds of weed, right here.
And as our country is facing a growing heroin crisis, many communities are also considering different options to address the problem. For instance, the Angel Program in Gloucester, Massachusetts, allows drug users to turn themselves in to law enforcement and, instead of arrest, receive treatment.
Officer: I don't see an achievement in holding out a hand to help someone in need from law enforcement. I see that as a responsibility.
Tom: But no one we spoke to sees the legalization of harder drugs as a solution.
Nadelmann: I think those are ones where I'm reluctant to say let's allow them to be sold the way alcohol or cigarettes are. That's, I think, where we need to have much more innovative approaches, perhaps allowing people who are heavy users or addicts to obtain those drugs in restricted settings.
Tom: It is clear we are at a crossroad. Our country's attitude about the war on drugs is changing, but the battle is still in full force.
What evidence is there that the war on drugs is actually working?
Grassley: It goes up and down. Right now, there's a heroin and cocaine epidemic. Sometimes it was methamphetamine. So I think you're going to find different figures for different times.
Tom: Throughout my investigation, witnessing the drug use and the aftermath and examining different policies around the world, I began to fully realize how complicated this war is and why no one has seemed to find a way to win.
DEA agent: Is it winnable? It's containable. Is containing a win? I think it's a success. I think if we save one life, it's a success, and I know that we've saved millions.
Tom: But there is still a long way to go.
DEA agent: Still a long way to go.
Tom: Next month the United Nations will hold a historic summit, a meeting of the world's leading experts on drug policy, to examine the approach to drug laws around the world. And while it is unlikely, the international war on drugs could potentially come to an end.
Nadelmann: “A drug-free world, we can do it,” said the United Nations in 1998. But when the United Nations meets in 2016 in New York for their next great big general assembly on drugs, you're not going to hear that rhetoric anymore.
Tom: And while there will always be drugs, a drug business and drug users, it might mean a change forthe battlefield because everyone I spoke to agrees we shouldn’t give up the fight against drug abuse.
Addict: It destroyed my life.
Carl Hart: It's a dangerous activity.
Prisoner: Like it's not worth it.
User: Don’t try because you’re gonna like it, and you ain’t gonna stop.
DEA agent: I don’t want any of them to die from drug addiction.
Teen: It's devastating.
Nadelmann: Don't do drugs.
Azia: Wow, Tom, really great job on the series.
Tom: Thanks, Azia.Yeah, it was definitely a team effort from the producersto the editorsto the graphicsteamtoDemetriusPipkin. We spent over a year producing this series, and we are really proud of it. We hope that you guys enjoyed it too. And, of course, there is a lot of online content, so be sure to check it out.
Azia: Yeah,you can find all of the behind-the-scenes videos on ChannelOne.com on Tom’s reporter page. And also, Tom, you are going to be answering some questions today, right?
Tom: Yeah, I am going to be taking over the Channel One News Twitter account, so be sure to send your questions to #Ch1Chat. That is at 5 p.m.Eastern time today.
Azia:Don’t miss it.
All right, guys, coming up, this restaurant says it is time to put down the phone.
Azia: Okay guys, Arielle is here with me now to talk about a story that— Arielle?
Arielle: Oh,oh! Sorry.Uh, as you can see, phones can be a bit distracting. But one restaurant is swapping distractions for conversations.Check it out.
Just look around; many of us are guilty of it.
Monica Ford: It can get out of hand, where I'm just like scrolling and scrolling and scrolling.
Arielle: We sit down for dinner and immediately whip out that phone.
Woman: Here I’m guilty, you know, some social media every once in awhile.
Arielle: It affects everyonefrom adults to kids and teens. A recent report from Common Sense Media found that tweens spend almost six hours a day on "entertainment media," which includes things like listening to music or watching online videos.For teenagers, that number jumps to almost nine hours.
So it makes sense that many can't resist the urge to bury their face in their phones, even at the dinner table. That is why fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is taking charge with a new challenge for families. It is called the “cell phone coop,” and it is served up with every meal at 100 locations nationwide.
Waitress: It’s a cell phone coop challenge, just to bring families closer together.
Arielle: Here is how it works. You take your phone, put it on silent, then put it in this box while you eat your meal.
John Howard: This is a great incentive to put the phones down, put the technology down and get to know each other a little more.
Waitress: There we go.
Howard: Something so simple can be so impactful.
Arielle: So does it work?
Monica: We got to, like, laugh more; we got to talk to each other more.
Arielle: Sounds like this could be a challenge that could make it all the way to your dinner table. Arielle Hixson, Channel One News.
Azia: Now we want to know what you think. Should families turn off their phones during meals? Head to ChannelOne.com to vote and weigh in. Or, better yet, send us a video .
All right, guys, that is all for now. Have a great holiday. We are off tomorrow, but we will see you right back here on Monday.
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