Arianna: 'The War On Drugs Has Failed And We Are Not Acknowledging It' (VIDEO)

Arianna appeared on Monday morning's edition of "CNN Starting Point With Soledad O'Brien," joining a roundtable to discuss singer Tony Bennett's call to legalize drugs. Bennett's comments came on Saturday evening after singer Whitney Houston died at 48.

"First it was Michael Jackson," Bennett said. "Then it was Amy Winehouse. and now, the magnificent Whitney Houston. I'd like to have every gentleman and lady in this room commit themselves to get our government to legalize drugs -- so they'll have to get it through a doctor, not to some gangsters who just sell it under the table."

Arianna weighed in on Bennett's view, pointing to the United States' struggles in containing the war on drugs.

"The point I think is absolutely fair -- that the war on drugs has failed and we are not acknowledging it. We are spending over $50 billion a year fighting a war that has become a war on our own people, especially among African Americans and minorities in general. All the distinctions between crack cocaine and powder cocaine, we are seeing our jails filled with non-violent drug offenders."

Watch the clip below, courtesy of CNN.