The drug war in the United States has been waged on all civil fronts for over four decades. 1971 marked the beginning of the infamous “war on drugs” that was first signed into law by President Nixon, and then further escalated by president Ragen. The drug war has led to a massive increase in the country’s prison population. The United States currently has less than 5% of the world’s total population and nearly 25% of the world’s total prison population. That is a shocking number that is unnecessarily increased due to the drug war propaganda. They say that those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it. And just as prohibition did little to combat the use of alcohol in the 1920’s, the drug war has done little to combat the use of illicit drugs …show more content…
The best way to demolish this corrupt system, while restoring faith in both the justice system and police force, is through the legalization and decriminalization of all class B drugs, along with the use but not the production or trafficking of all class A drugs. Through the legalization of these drugs, the government can eradicate the cost of this drug war, an estimated $51 billion per year, and use the income that was previously used to imprison part of the population to educate, counsel, and rehabilitate those who are caught in possession of substances. The United States would greatly benefit from this dramatic reform and create a trickle-down effect of positive events that can be acknowledged by the actions of other countries. Other countries saw reduced in the rate of adolescent drug use and they significantly expanded treatment a harm-reduction services that would help people with drug problems instead of incarcerating