A.P.: "The Drug War Is a Disastrous Failure"

[mrjarrell]

Reason gives us a heads up on the reality check the AP has had. Maybe one of these days all the people involved in the war on drugs will regain their sanity and morals and put an end to it. It's costing us too much, in both money and lives.

via Reason

Today the Associated Press distributed a story that takes a remarkably skeptical view of the war on drugs. A few highlights:

After 40 years, the United States' war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence even more brutal and widespread....
Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked.
"In the grand scheme, it has not been successful," Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. "Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified."...
[Richard Nixon's] first drug-fighting budget was $100 million. Now it's $15.1 billion, 31 times Nixon's amount even when adjusted for inflation.
Using Freedom of Information Act requests, archival records, federal budgets and dozens of interviews with leaders and analysts, the AP tracked where that money went, and found that the United States repeatedly increased budgets for programs that did little to stop the flow of drugs. In 40 years, taxpayers spent more than:
_ $20 billion to fight the drug gangs in their home countries. In Colombia, for example, the United States spent more than $6 billion, while coca cultivation increased and trafficking moved to Mexico — and the violence along with it.
_ $33 billion in marketing "Just Say No"-style messages to America's youth and other prevention programs. High school students report the same rates of illegal drug use as they did in 1970, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drug overdoses have "risen steadily" since the early 1970s to more than 20,000 last year.
_ $49 billion for law enforcement along America's borders to cut off the flow of illegal drugs. This year, 25 million Americans will snort, swallow, inject and smoke illicit drugs, about 10 million more than in 1970, with the bulk of those drugs imported from Mexico.
_ $121 billion to arrest more than 37 million nonviolent drug offenders, about 10 million of them for possession of marijuana. Studies show that jail time tends to increase drug abuse.
_ $450 billion to lock those people up in federal prisons alone. Last year, half of all federal prisoners in the U.S. were serving sentences for drug offenses....
Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron says the only sure thing taxpayers get for more spending on police and soldiers is more homicides.
"Current policy is not having an effect of reducing drug use," Miron said, "but it's costing the public a fortune."...
"For every drug dealer you put in jail or kill, there's a line up to replace him because the money is just so good," says Walter McCay, who heads the non-profit Center for Professional Police Certification in Mexico City.
McCay is one of the 13,000 members of Medford, Mass.-based Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of cops, judges, prosecutors, prison wardens and others who want to legalize and regulate all drugs.
A decade ago, no politician who wanted to keep his job would breathe a word about legalization, but a consensus is growing across the country that at least marijuana will someday be regulated and sold like tobacco and alcohol.
Today the Associated Press distributed a story that takes a remarkably skeptical view of the war on drugs. A few highlights:

After 40 years, the United States' war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence even more brutal and widespread....
Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked.
"In the grand scheme, it has not been successful," Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. "Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified."...
[Richard Nixon's] first drug-fighting budget was $100 million. Now it's $15.1 billion, 31 times Nixon's amount even when adjusted for inflation.
Using Freedom of Information Act requests, archival records, federal budgets and dozens of interviews with leaders and analysts, the AP tracked where that money went, and found that the United States repeatedly increased budgets for programs that did little to stop the flow of drugs. In 40 years, taxpayers spent more than:
_ $20 billion to fight the drug gangs in their home countries. In Colombia, for example, the United States spent more than $6 billion, while coca cultivation increased and trafficking moved to Mexico — and the violence along with it.
_ $33 billion in marketing "Just Say No"-style messages to America's youth and other prevention programs. High school students report the same rates of illegal drug use as they did in 1970, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drug overdoses have "risen steadily" since the early 1970s to more than 20,000 last year.
_ $49 billion for law enforcement along America's borders to cut off the flow of illegal drugs. This year, 25 million Americans will snort, swallow, inject and smoke illicit drugs, about 10 million more than in 1970, with the bulk of those drugs imported from Mexico.
_ $121 billion to arrest more than 37 million nonviolent drug offenders, about 10 million of them for possession of marijuana. Studies show that jail time tends to increase drug abuse.
_ $450 billion to lock those people up in federal prisons alone. Last year, half of all federal prisoners in the U.S. were serving sentences for drug offenses....
Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron says the only sure thing taxpayers get for more spending on police and soldiers is more homicides.
"Current policy is not having an effect of reducing drug use," Miron said, "but it's costing the public a fortune."...
"For every drug dealer you put in jail or kill, there's a line up to replace him because the money is just so good," says Walter McCay, who heads the non-profit Center for Professional Police Certification in Mexico City.
McCay is one of the 13,000 members of Medford, Mass.-based Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of cops, judges, prosecutors, prison wardens and others who want to legalize and regulate all drugs.
A decade ago, no politician who wanted to keep his job would breathe a word about legalization, but a consensus is growing across the country that at least marijuana will someday be regulated and sold like tobacco and alcohol.
​

More atthe source and at the story link.

 

[E5RANGER375]

the war on drugs has always been a money making and political ploy used by the U.S. govt and other countries. its a joke and we got suckered into paying for it.

 

[jeremy]

No really...

I thought we were winning the War on Drugs...

 

[Leadeye]

Like many other government run programs this one will only get bigger.

 

[spirit390]

YouTube - Asylum Street Spankers - "Winning the War on Drugs"

 

[88GT]

_ $33 billion in marketing "Just Say No"-style messages to America's youth and other prevention programs. High school students report the same rates of illegal drug use as they did in 1970, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drug overdoses have "risen steadily" since the early 1970s to more than 20,000 last year.

Must be put in terms of death due to overdose per drug users. If the number of users is going up, it makes sense that OD deaths will as well. However, if the number of users remained relatively stable, and the OD deaths went up, that's a different story. And could result from a variety of different factors.

_ $49 billion for law enforcement along America's borders to cut off the flow of illegal drugs. This year, 25 million Americans will snort, swallow, inject and smoke illicit drugs, about 10 million more than in 1970, with the bulk of those drugs imported from Mexico.

Once again, context. 25mil out of how many vs. 35mil out of how many?

Okay, now that I've satisfied my OCD for statistically-related statements taken out of context....

I'm afraid that even if we never implemented a war on drugs, the money would still have been confiscated and spent elsewhere. It seems to be the en vogue thing to do for the past 80 years.

 

[JDonhardt]

I'm shocked. Can you tell?

 

[smoking357]

Nobody who supports the Drug War can be called a friend of Liberty.

 

[TopDog]

You would have to hope that the government learned something from the failed prohibition on alcohol. But no, he who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it.

 

[ruger1800]

DUH drug policies in any society are a joke, education, prevention and treatment are the only options.

 

[kingnereli]

I'm glad to see people finally getting it. We shouldn't be fighting the war on drugs. We should be handing out drugs to every citizen starting in pre-school. If we are going to promote addictive, self-destructive lifestyles we might as well start 'em young. After all, it's the tax money that is really important.

 

[Fletch]

I'm glad to see people finally getting it. We shouldn't be fighting the war on drugs. We should be handing out drugs to every citizen starting in pre-school. If we are going to promote addictive, self-destructive lifestyles we might as well start 'em young.

I take it you don't really understand the concept of freedom. It's not that everything not forbidden is compulsory; it's that everything not forbidden is left up to the individual. It's a revolutionary and amazing concept, really. America was supposedly founded on it.

 

[seamusalaska]

No society will get rid of drugs until its citizens learn a few lessons:

1. There is a difference between falling asleep and passing out.

2. There is a difference between waking up and 'coming to'.

3. There is a difference between being happy and being high.

Just a thought. Gotta go and get my morning Ibuprofen.

 

[Fletch]

Just a thought. Gotta go and get my morning Ibuprofen.

Stoner!!!

 

[XMil]

I'm glad to see people finally getting it. We shouldn't be fighting the war on drugs. We should be handing out drugs to every citizen starting in pre-school. If we are going to promote addictive, self-destructive lifestyles we might as well start 'em young. After all, it's the tax money that is really important.

Nobody is promoting recreational drug use. The "war on drugs" is not working and it is being used to flush liberty down the toilet. It is also making drug dealers and and drugs themselves more dangerous. Only bad apples are willing to enter the game. You don't see Pfizer and Merck having shootouts over turf.

There are definitely better ways to solve the problem.

 

[smoking357]

Nobody is promoting recreational drug use.

I am. If that's what you want to do, do it.

No man is fit to tell you that you can't.

 

[XMil]

Promoting is not the same thing as agreeing that you have a right. I think you should be able to anything to your body that want to do.

The meaning of the word promote is important here and in my opinion, the misunderstanding of it causes many of the problems when trying to discuss this issue. When most people hear "drugs should not be illegal", they think, for some reason, the drug use is being "promoted". It is not. To promote drug use, is to encourage more people to use drugs.

 

[smoking357]

Promoting is not the same thing as agreeing that you have a right. I think you should be able to anything to your body that want to do.

The meaning of the word promote is important here and in my opinion, the misunderstanding of it causes many of the problems when trying to discuss this issue. When most people hear "drugs should not be illegal", they think, for some reason, the drug use is being "promoted". It is not. To promote drug use, is to encourage more people to use drugs.

So? I really and truly wished more people smoked marijuana, hired prostitutes, made moonshine, gambled, were "speeding" on the roads, etc., so we would have more of the population see just how needless, silly and pointless are the police, Coast Guard, Navy, BA T F E and any other organization employed for the purpose of depriving the citizens of their Liberty.

Everyone light up a doob, so we see just how foolish these immoral prohibition laws are.

 

[JDonhardt]

I am. If that's what you want to do, do it.

No man is fit to tell you that you can't.

Agreed. A person's health is their own business.

 

[dhnorris]

Agreed. A person's health is their own business.

At the same time my children's health is my business and I'm not in the business of raising pot heads and crack whores. Wait, you say if they want to try something let them, not with a 97% addiction rate they don't. dope peddlers need put down like brown recluse spiders. If I don't see them they will stay alive threaten my progeny and pay the consequences.