“Over a course of years I just saw that the policy wasn't working. We're catching more and more drugs; we're putting more and more people in prison,” Nelson said.

Now Nelson has switched sides. He said he believes the country is not getting anywhere in the fight against drugs, but instead things are getting worse, as can be seen just miles from El Paso. So instead Nelson decided he is done fighting.

"We're calling for a policy to legalize, regulation and control of all narcotics because we believe to regulate and control something it has to be legal and by doing that we can take it out of the hands of the criminal cartels," Nelson said.

Nelson brought his ideas to UTEP students, to discuss decriminalizing drugs in the United States. City representative Beto O'Rourke was also at the event.

"I think we need to have an open conversation about alternatives to the current policy, however the more I think about it, the more I learn it becomes very clear to me at the very least we need to decriminalize marijuana," O’Rourke said.

Ideas and convictions that are coming not just from America’s youth or the drug culture, but now coming from elected officials and a man who doesn't know any other way to stop the violence.

"The killing and the crime and violence associated with the network will be greatly reduced by as much as 80 percent," Nelson said.

O’Rourke and Nelson claim they do not advocate drug use, however they believe that drug abuse is a social problem and not a criminal one.