Synthesis Essay On War On Drugs

It is a common belief that the war on drugs has been a disgraceful failure. The war on drugs has been extremely expensive with the U.S. federal, state and local governments spending a total of $40 billion in 2010 and has done little to curb the appetite of drugs among drug users, while directly targeting the black population. The current drug policy simply does not work and is counterproductive. The reality is drugs are here to stay, wherever there is a need, there will be a demand and individuals may go through dangerous, violent and unhealthy means to satisfy that need. Through the decriminalization of drugs, the U.S government can finally address the issue of addiction as a disease, the health risks that addiction posses to society tackle the immense number of inmates on minor drug charges, and injustice in the sentencing between …show more content…
The Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union are both engaged in a push to change the manner in which local, state and federal governments deal with drugs. A report published by the groups above stated that every 25 seconds someone is arrested in the US for possessing drugs for personal use, at least 137,000 individuals are locked up on a given day for drug possession and black adults are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession that white people. The report noticed a clear distinction in race stating that “criminalizing drug possession has caused dramatic and unnecessary harm particularly in the African American community where severe enforcement racial differences cannot be justified by disparities in use” (Davidson). Although African Americans abuse drugs just as much as white Americans do, African Americans who make up only 13% of the U.S population, make up 35% of jail inmates and 37% of prison inmates. This disparity displays clear racial injustice in the war on drugs and law