“No Country for Old Men” by Cormac Mccarthy focused mainly on the war on drugs, and educated many people on an issue that is often forgotten about. This issue with drugs is something that I feel is just as prevalent today as it was in the novel, which might be controversial to some people. I feel as if drug use has only increased since the 1980s, and the number of people who die drug related deaths has continued to increase in the past few years. Although I always thought the war on drugs ended far before the 2000s, according to an article written in 2019 from the New York Times titled “Is the ‘War on Drugs’ Over? Arrest Statistics Say No”, this war is still very prevalent. History.com says that “between 2009 and 2013, some 40 states took steps to soften their drug laws, lowering penalties and shortening mandatory minimum sentences… [showing that] public support for the war on drugs has waned in recent decades.” Reading this book was a good reminder of how much farther we need to go in this “war with drugs” to allow people to live longer, happier lives and decrease the number of overdoses we see each year.
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Great American Novels 2020 
I agree that the plot point that really set up this story revolves around drugs. I think it’s interesting that states are taking those steps to soften drug laws as ultimately I believe that the best way to end addiction is through rehab instead of jail time.
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I like that you connected this book to todays world! I definitely agree with you that the “war on drugs” has not ended; instead, it has actually gotten continually worse. I think it has become more and more hidden in todays society rather than being out in the open.
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It’s very important that we recognize that the war on drugs is an ongoing issue. No Country for Old Men is just one of endless accounts of this issue, and it makes no sense for states to be loosening the punishment for drug-related issues.
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I agree that drug’s are a huge issue but I don’t completely disagree with states loosening punishments for drug related incidents. I think there needs to be a higher focus on the rehabilitation aspect of drugs rather than handing out life sentences to people who went down the wrong path but ultimately didn’t kill anyone or make the decision to ruin someone else’s life. If anything they a lot of times are just punishing themselves. I don’t think they deserve super long sentences.
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