Currently, America has the highest percentage of incarcerated individuals in the world (Beddoes). Drug offenders make up around 50% of the male population and 59% of the female population of prisons, with 80% in for possession (US Department of Justice). With recent changes in policies, such as legalizing marijuana and rehabilitation options, America has to consider the best course of justice (Progress). Are America’s current punishments for drug crimes ethical, economically practical, concurrent with modern science, and historically effective, ensuring justice for not only people suffering from Addictive Disorders, but all Americans; and if not, what is a better option? Legalizing and taxing soft drugs, lessening minimum sentences for hard
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According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in 2013, the National Drug Control Budget used 25.6 billion dollars to counteract drug abuse, excluding incarceration (“The National Drug Control Budget”). Incarceration adds an estimated 874.4 million dollars annually for state prisons alone (Henrichson). The estimated cost of inmate per year is 34,000 dollars (Beddoes). Considering nonviolent soft drug users make up (?) of the prison population, legalizing soft drugs would result in a significant reduction in the amount of finances required to track, capture, prosecute, and contain prisoners. On the other hand, taxing soft drugs would increase revenue, such as it has done in Colorado and Washington. In 2015, the Colorado Department of Revenue reports an income of around 70 million dollars in marijuana, a soft drug, taxes and license fees, which is almost twice the revenue generated by taxes on alcohol (Marijuana). During the same time, Washington earned 62 million in excise taxes on marijuana (Basu). Although, some argue that legalizing soft drugs would result in an increase in welfare costs. However, welfare averages about 300 dollars a month, and 500 dollars a month for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, totalling to only 9,600 dollars a year in assistance (“Welfare”). Also, considering 48 states have some form of time constrictions on these benefits, the cost of incarceration for drug crimes is still significantly greater (Fink). In the end, combining the reduction of expenditures from legalization and the increase of revenue from taxation would result in more
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in 2013, the National Drug Control Budget used 25.6 billion dollars to counteract drug abuse, excluding incarceration (“The National Drug Control Budget”). Incarceration adds an estimated 874.4 million dollars annually for state prisons alone (Henrichson). The estimated cost of inmate per year is 34,000 dollars (Beddoes). Considering nonviolent soft drug users make up (?) of the prison population, legalizing soft drugs would result in a significant reduction in the amount of finances required to track, capture, prosecute, and contain prisoners. On the other hand, taxing soft drugs would increase revenue, such as it has done in Colorado and Washington. In 2015, the Colorado Department of Revenue reports an income of around 70 million dollars in marijuana, a soft drug, taxes and license fees, which is almost twice the revenue generated by taxes on alcohol (Marijuana). During the same time, Washington earned 62 million in excise taxes on marijuana (Basu). Although, some argue that legalizing soft drugs would result in an increase in welfare costs. However, welfare averages about 300 dollars a month, and 500 dollars a month for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, totalling to only 9,600 dollars a year in assistance (“Welfare”). Also, considering 48 states have some form of time constrictions on these benefits, the cost of incarceration for drug crimes is still significantly greater (Fink). In the end, combining the reduction of expenditures from legalization and the increase of revenue from taxation would result in more