U.S. Losing the War on Drugs

The war on drugs has been around since President Nixon declared its start 40 years ago. According to a New York Times article, it appears that the war is a losing battle, unless you are cheering for the drugs.

In today’s society, drugs are more readily available, can be purchased for much lower prices and higher level of potency. All of this in spite of the trillion dollars that has been spent conducting this “war”.

The ongoing war on drugs has produced three consequences, including the increase in the proportion of our population in the nation’s prisons; criminals at home and terrorists abroad have been empowered; and we have squandered resources.

According to U.S. statistics, we now incarcerate people at a rate that is five times the world average. Contributing to this influx is the number of people in prison for drug offenses, which has risen drastically from 41,000 in 1980 to 500,000 today.

Many prominent economists have repeatedly shown favor for easing drug laws as prohibition raises prices, which in turn increases profit margins for everyone. Many former presidents of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia have encouraged the U.S. to adopt a new approach to narcotics.

One Harvard economist determined that state, federal and local governments spend $44.1 billion every year enforcing drug prohibitions. As a country, we spend seven times more on prohibiting drugs, policing and imprisonment as we do on treatment.

Obama’s new drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, said in the Wall Street Journal that he is working to banish the “war on drugs” terminology, while also shifting more toward treatment over imprisonment.

So far, those states who have made the move to decriminalize marijuana have yet to see a surge in consumption. Even still, the stakes are huge as a major change without major benefits could sink the politician that makes that move. But, maintaining the status quo obviously isn’t working, either.