The so called “war on drugs” is rife with controversy and heartache. For some, it is a frustrating cluster of bureaucracy and ineffectiveness. For others, it is a life-changing policy with disadvantageous or even disastrous results. The side of the war that instituted this policy, the government, has not benefitted in any meaningful way to continue to perpetuate it, and thus a radical change is on the table. My article, “Why We Should End the Failed War on Drugs (And Legalization is the Best Alternative)” published by Liberty and Common Sense provides the justification for the legalization of illicit drugs in the United States: the continued increase in addiction, the creation of black markets, and soaring costs and imprisonment. The unintended
…show more content…
The cost covers a variety of drug programs including law enforcement, drug treatment and prevention, and domestic and international interdiction. The costs of these programs have increased exponentially over the past 45 years. In addition, the $1.5 trillion does not include the cost of incarceration for drug offenders. Half of federal prisoners and more than half of all state prisoners were sentenced for drug crimes, most of which were non-violent. Therefore, they were victimless, unless you consider a drug user a victim of a crime of his own making. There is no way to tell what would have happened to drug addiction rates had the “war on drugs” and its subsequent prohibition never been instituted, nor can we know if there was a better way to spend the money and utilize the resources to fight the …show more content…
But for others, there is a certain cachet to using drugs. In the 1960s, it was rebellious to smoke pot. Unfortunately, this symbol of rebellion occurs with more dangerous and powerful drugs today. I know first-hand that the “war on drugs” has been unsuccessful. My oldest nephew died in July, 2016 of a heroin/fentanyl overdose. He had been in several rehabilitation centers and halfway houses over the years, but his addiction remained in control of his life than he was. Drug prevention and treatment programs did not help him; the $1.5 trillion did not help him and eventually, the inconsistency of the illegal product he chose to ingest killed him. There are many reasons this young man used drugs but had he been able obtain heroin that was not laced with fentanyl, he may have lived long enough to
The cost covers a variety of drug programs including law enforcement, drug treatment and prevention, and domestic and international interdiction. The costs of these programs have increased exponentially over the past 45 years. In addition, the $1.5 trillion does not include the cost of incarceration for drug offenders. Half of federal prisoners and more than half of all state prisoners were sentenced for drug crimes, most of which were non-violent. Therefore, they were victimless, unless you consider a drug user a victim of a crime of his own making. There is no way to tell what would have happened to drug addiction rates had the “war on drugs” and its subsequent prohibition never been instituted, nor can we know if there was a better way to spend the money and utilize the resources to fight the …show more content…
But for others, there is a certain cachet to using drugs. In the 1960s, it was rebellious to smoke pot. Unfortunately, this symbol of rebellion occurs with more dangerous and powerful drugs today. I know first-hand that the “war on drugs” has been unsuccessful. My oldest nephew died in July, 2016 of a heroin/fentanyl overdose. He had been in several rehabilitation centers and halfway houses over the years, but his addiction remained in control of his life than he was. Drug prevention and treatment programs did not help him; the $1.5 trillion did not help him and eventually, the inconsistency of the illegal product he chose to ingest killed him. There are many reasons this young man used drugs but had he been able obtain heroin that was not laced with fentanyl, he may have lived long enough to