Law enforcement officials are systematically blocked from publicly disagreeing with current drug policies. In fact, some law enforcement officers have even been fired for simply questioning the merits of drug laws privately, in passing, among their peers. That makes a non-profit organization such as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) all the more credible. LEAP is comprised of current and retired police officers who openly want to end the drug war. For example, Tony Ryan, a board member of LEAP, said, “During my thirty-six years as a Denver cop I arrested more people for marijuana than I care to remember, but it didn’t amount to one bit of good for our citizens.” Some officers have even lost their jobs for simply adding their name
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Eventually, after a lengthy period of decriminalization, once the stigma has been reduced, a form of limited legalization for hardened addicts would be feasible. Once addictive drugs lose their outlaw image, they can be viewed for what they are -- debilitating, life-ruining habits. Decriminalization will drastically reduce the black market price. Therefore, many addicts will not resort to crime to support what can be a $3,000 a month habit. It’s not unreasonable for a drug addict to rationalize resorting to crime to support their habit when they already face prison time for simple possession. In comparison, alcoholics generally don’t have to resort to robbery to support their …show more content…
Each new presidential administration has promised to change that dynamic, but that has yet to happen. For example, in 2008, the federal government spent $13.7 billion on drug law enforcement as opposed to $3.2 million for drug treatment and research. As a result, there are long waiting lists for treatment which can last for months. Those people are waiting because drug addiction therapy is too expensive for the average person, particularly for a drug addict. Likewise, Sam Kinison mocked the $13,000 average cost for a 21 day rehab back in the 1980s. He joked that if you still had $13,000, then you didn’t have a problem, yet!!! Now, a typical rehab costs about $7,000 a month and $10,000 to $40,000 for the duration. The costs are so high that some rehab centers even have the same kind of 0% financing deals that are typically associated with
Eventually, after a lengthy period of decriminalization, once the stigma has been reduced, a form of limited legalization for hardened addicts would be feasible. Once addictive drugs lose their outlaw image, they can be viewed for what they are -- debilitating, life-ruining habits. Decriminalization will drastically reduce the black market price. Therefore, many addicts will not resort to crime to support what can be a $3,000 a month habit. It’s not unreasonable for a drug addict to rationalize resorting to crime to support their habit when they already face prison time for simple possession. In comparison, alcoholics generally don’t have to resort to robbery to support their …show more content…
Each new presidential administration has promised to change that dynamic, but that has yet to happen. For example, in 2008, the federal government spent $13.7 billion on drug law enforcement as opposed to $3.2 million for drug treatment and research. As a result, there are long waiting lists for treatment which can last for months. Those people are waiting because drug addiction therapy is too expensive for the average person, particularly for a drug addict. Likewise, Sam Kinison mocked the $13,000 average cost for a 21 day rehab back in the 1980s. He joked that if you still had $13,000, then you didn’t have a problem, yet!!! Now, a typical rehab costs about $7,000 a month and $10,000 to $40,000 for the duration. The costs are so high that some rehab centers even have the same kind of 0% financing deals that are typically associated with