Katie Couric's Notebook: Drug War

Mexican cartels sell nearly $14 billion dollars worth of illegal drugs to the U.S. every year. And, according to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, 80 percent of their weapons come from the U.S.

Calderon spoke before Congress today, praising his partnership with President Obama. But the fact is, the drug war is failing...on both sides of the border.

In Mexico, nearly 23,000 people have been killed since Calderon took office. In the U.S., drug abuse causes 40 million serious illnesses and injuries every year.

U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske is calling for an end to the 40-year, trillion-dollar War on Drugs, and suggests focusing more on public health instead.

Drug treatment and prevention programs might not be a magic bullet, but a new battle plan is needed...because too many lives are going up in smoke.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.