Failure of the War on Drugs

[I Missthe North]

Almost thirty years after the "War on Drugs" was begun under Reagan, I would argue that it has been nothing but a complete and utter failure. Drugs are as popular as they ever were, if not more so. Our prisons are overcrowded and undermanned. Private prisons have essentially become the new age Southern Plantation of the 1800's. Millions of Americans have had their lives ruined because they got caught with a bag of weed and now cannot find a decent job, forcing them deeper into the criminal world just to pay the bills. Billions of dollars are wasted to arrest harmless potheads. All the War on Drugs has done is make marijuana, crystal meth, coke and all other drugs cool to America's youth and a source of rebellion.

I am not necessarily a fan of making all drugs legal, but the current system has been nothing short of a complete and utter failure. The billions spent on arresting drug dealers should be spent on rehabilitation and education the way countries like the Netherlands have done. Drugs cartels and drug related crime is a product of our current drug policy and nothing more. If drugs were the business of corporations and business men, I would like to bet that we would see a dramatic drop in crime across America. Check out drugsense.org and their War on Drugs clock. It may just make you realize how big of a waste our "War on Drugs" really is.

 

[dilloduck]

Almost thirty years after the "War on Drugs" was begun under Reagan, I would argue that it has been nothing but a complete and utter failure. Drugs are as popular as they ever were, if not more so. Our prisons are overcrowded and undermanned. Private prisons have essentially become the new age Southern Plantation of the 1800's. Millions of Americans have had their lives ruined because they got caught with a bag of weed and now cannot find a decent job, forcing them deeper into the criminal world just to pay the bills. Billions of dollars are wasted to arrest harmless potheads. All the War on Drugs has done is make marijuana, crystal meth, coke and all other drugs cool to America's youth and a source of rebellion.

I am not necessarily a fan of making all drugs legal, but the current system has been nothing short of a complete and utter failure. The billions spent on arresting drug dealers should be spent on rehabilitation and education the way countries like the Netherlands have done. Drugs cartels and drug related crime is a product of our current drug policy and nothing more. If drugs were the business of corporations and business men, I would like to bet that we would see a dramatic drop in crime across America. Check out drugsense.org and their War on Drugs clock. It may just make you realize how big of a waste our "War on Drugs" really is.

cmon--we can make a lot of bucks by buying the Afghans "poppies" and selling it for a profit. Use it to bail out our Fannies.

 

[user_name_guest]

Almost thirty years after the "War on Drugs" was begun under Reagan, I would argue that it has been nothing but a complete and utter failure. Drugs are as popular as they ever were, if not more so. Our prisons are overcrowded and undermanned. Private prisons have essentially become the new age Southern Plantation of the 1800's. Millions of Americans have had their lives ruined because they got caught with a bag of weed and now cannot find a decent job, forcing them deeper into the criminal world just to pay the bills. Billions of dollars are wasted to arrest harmless potheads. All the War on Drugs has done is make marijuana, crystal meth, coke and all other drugs cool to America's youth and a source of rebellion.

I am not necessarily a fan of making all drugs legal, but the current system has been nothing short of a complete and utter failure. The billions spent on arresting drug dealers should be spent on rehabilitation and education the way countries like the Netherlands have done. Drugs cartels and drug related crime is a product of our current drug policy and nothing more. If drugs were the business of corporations and business men, I would like to bet that we would see a dramatic drop in crime across America. Check out drugsense.org and their War on Drugs clock. It may just make you realize how big of a waste our "War on Drugs" really is.

I heard a statistic that 1/3 of the people in our prison system don't even belong in the United States. Why? They're illegal and should be deported immediately.

 

[Toro]

By virtually any measure, the war on drugs is an abject failure.

The price of all narcotics is now lower than it was 20 years ago and has done little to stop the flow of drugs into the country. It also corrupts countries around the world, giving enormous wealth and power to criminal gangs which have no qualms about dealing with terrorist groups that want to attack America.

 

[Epsilon Delta]

The War on Drugs is nothing but an empty slogan; a PR effort. I doubt they have any real interest in eradicating drug use; they just have to pretend they do. The Drug problem should be a medical/addiction problem, and drug education shouldn't be based on fear, it should be based on facts.

The worst part is that the efforts to actually cut the production of drugs (specifically in Afghanistan and Colombia) are a sham. If there was any serious will to curb drug production then the strategy would be much different, and might have worked. Instead of taking the incredibly expensive measure of flying planes gassing the only source of income of thousands of dirt-poor farmers in the Third World, it might have helped to stop having absurd tariffs and subsidies for agricultural output, so that these farmers might actually be able to produce other goods competitively. Even more helpful would be to shift aid away from military solutions and send it to law enforcement and rural development.

Of course, the entrenched interests are never going to accept that, because it just doesn't matter. The means are too lucrative for the ends to be relevant.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Almost thirty years after the "War on Drugs" was begun under Reagan, I would argue that it has been nothing but a complete and utter failure. Drugs are as popular as they ever were, if not more so. Our prisons are overcrowded and undermanned. Private prisons have essentially become the new age Southern Plantation of the 1800's. Millions of Americans have had their lives ruined because they got caught with a bag of weed and now cannot find a decent job, forcing them deeper into the criminal world just to pay the bills. Billions of dollars are wasted to arrest harmless potheads. All the War on Drugs has done is make marijuana, crystal meth, coke and all other drugs cool to America's youth and a source of rebellion.

I am not necessarily a fan of making all drugs legal, but the current system has been nothing short of a complete and utter failure. The billions spent on arresting drug dealers should be spent on rehabilitation and education the way countries like the Netherlands have done. Drugs cartels and drug related crime is a product of our current drug policy and nothing more. If drugs were the business of corporations and business men, I would like to bet that we would see a dramatic drop in crime across America. Check out drugsense.org and their War on Drugs clock. It may just make you realize how big of a waste our "War on Drugs" really is.

You realize that a lot of the blame for continuing the war can be laid at the feet of the beer and liquor lobbies, don't you? Less competition for them = more profits.

Every time you order a Bud and shot of Joe Cuervo is money spent to keep weed underground.

-Jose

 

[editec]

Speaking a a recent victim of this war on citizens, I couldn't agree more.

The war on hemp is basically nothing but a cynical revenue source that states are now using to shore up their failing economies.

Making drug addictions a crime is the dumbest possible way to get people to stop abusing drugs.

We almost all know this now. Right and left, conservative and liberal, most of us understand this perfectly well by now.

But the war on drugs is a big BIG business.

So don't exect our governments (federal state or local) to give it up until the vast majority of people demand it, and demand it for a great long time before our government finally responds to our wishes.

There's too much money for criminals, and there's too much money for the police/criminal justice system/prison administrations and goverments which benefit from these laws being in place.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Ya we should just legalize illegal behavior to get rid of it, great plan.

Just think the State could sell permits and hunting licenses to contract killers and rake in the big bucks. We could legalize prostitution everywhere and tax the shit out of the whores. Upside all around cause then you could mandate HIV and STD testing on a regular basis in order to have that whore license.

The possibilities are just endless.

Sorry somethings are WRONG. And you do not legalize it just cause it would be easier on the criminal. Unlike you some of us HAVE a moral compass. We understand the simple fact that if something is illegal and you get caught with it, you get punished. Unless someone forced you at gun point to buy the weed you had, guess what? It is your fault you got BUSTED.

 

[I Missthe North]

You realize that a lot of the blame for continuing the war can be laid at the feet of the beer and liquor lobbies, don't you? Less competition for them = more profits.

Every time you order a Bud and shot of Joe Cuervo is money spent to keep weed underground.

-Jose

I do not disagree with you and honestly, I think that is part of the problem. The drug war has become an excuse for shady political deals and easy money for a lot of wealthy, well connected Americans. It is just sad, and a problem that I wish would be addressed by the American government.

 

[I Missthe North]

Ya we should just legalize illegal behavior to get rid of it, great plan.

Just think the State could sell permits and hunting licenses to contract killers and rake in the big bucks. We could legalize prostitution everywhere and tax the shit out of the whores. Upside all around cause then you could mandate HIV and STD testing on a regular basis in order to have that whore license.

The possibilities are just endless.

Sorry somethings are WRONG. And you do not legalize it just cause it would be easier on the criminal. Unlike you some of us HAVE a moral compass. We understand the simple fact that if something is illegal and you get caught with it, you get punished. Unless someone forced you at gun point to buy the weed you had, guess what? It is your fault you got BUSTED.

You completely miss the point, and from the sound of your reply, you just believe all the information that is spoon fed to you by our government. Drugs are illegal our government made them that way. If they were legal we would not see the same kind of violent behavior that we currently do, because there would be no reason for it. Violent behavior is a product of our "War on Drugs;" people will do crazy things to not go to jail If the government regulated the industry they could enforce rules and regulations instead of letting the whole system remain underground and uncontrolled. This "criminal" that you speak of would not be a "criminal" if drugs were legal. I am not saying you have to use drugs if they are legal. That is everyone's personal choice. Treating addicts like criminals however is not the answer to solving the problem. Has it worked so far Mr. Gunnery Sgt? No, and I would dare you to argue otherwise.

Alcohol, prescription drugs, nicotine, caffeine, etc, are all legal drugs. For the most part, there is no difference between those drugs and the drugs we consider "bad" and illegal. Its all about politics, and sadly, there is no politician out there with the balls to take a stand against a completely inept and useless system. There are plenty of prescription drugs that are just are bad as any illegal drug. The line is arbitrary and defined by the person with the most money in Washington. If you fail to see that then you are blind and I feel sorry for you. The government has obviously succeeded in its attempt at brainwashing you.