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Mexico's drug prohibition war continues to claim victims at an astounding rate, and there are no signs that the violence will ease any time soon. In 2010 alone, the death toll from the violence was more than double the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq during the past seven years. This NPR broadcast explores whether the situation might improve in 2011.

Cannabis, or hemp, has been grown in the U.S. since the days of George Washington. KPBS looks at the remarkable history of marijuana in this country, including how it got here, its early reputation for making users violent and insane; and present-day efforts to legalize it. Guests include Richard Bonnie, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law and co-author of "The Marihuana Conviction", and Isaac Campos, fellow at the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center at the University of Cinncinnatti.

Proposition 19 on California's November ballot would legalize marijuana possession and allow regulated sales of marijuana to adults. It would be the first such law in the country. Listen in to a debate between Stephen Gutwillig, California State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, and Roger Morgan, chairman and executive director, Coalition For A Drug-Free California.