Kathryn DeHoyos explains how, after four decades of enforcement, the the racist drug policies of the U.S. have failed.
The war on drugs has failed. After 41 years and over $1 trillion spent what does the U.S. have to show for it? For starters, we have the largest prison population in the world. CNN reported recently,
[There are] about 2.3 million behind bars. More than half a million of those people are incarcerated for a drug law violation.
About 40,000 people were in U.S. jails and prisons for drug crimes in 1980, compared with more than 500,000 today. Excessively long prison sentences and locking up people for small drug offenses contribute greatly to this ballooning of the prison population
On the surface these numbers would seem to indicate that the U.S. drug policies are working, right? Wrong. In fact, just like with prohibition in the 1920’s and 30’s, which gave rise to organized crime and increased hard liquor consumption across the country, these policies have only exacerbated the problem. Instead of reducing the number over the last four decades the US has managed to move into the No. 1 spot for illegal drug use worldwide.
But what is even more disturbing is the number of minorities who are imprisoned on drug charges. Some may argue that it is because minorities are the problem. That people of color are quite obviously the majority of the people who sell and use drugs. And again, on the surface the numbers would seem to support that argument. However, as the CNN report goes on to point out,
People of color are no more likely to use or sell illegal drugs than white people — yet from 1980 to 2007, blacks were arrested for drug law violations at rates 2.8 to 5.5 times higher than white arrest rates.
So, not only can it be said that the federal government’s drug policy is ineffective, but that it is a blatantly racist one as well. If white people are just as likely as people of color to be both users and dealers, why is it that the majority of people in prison for drug law violations are minorities? Racial discrimination, whether touted as drug policy or not, is still discrimination and is unacceptable. The prohibition of alcohol was a failure, and although it has taken over 40 years for us to see, the supposed war on drugs is an abysmal failure as well.
Picture: erokism/Flickr
Those who fail to learn from history?
Come back Cassandra, All is forgiven … I know it’s about 4000 years too late, but some may learn…. if we are all optimistic, join hands and sing a nice tune around the camp fire! Wee some may learn… until next time!
So, do you all honestly think drug trafficking marijuana will stop when it’s legal to use it? Believe me when I tell you that the efforts will increase to stop the drug trafficking because it will hit the government where it hurts and that’s in their pockets. Home grown weed will be just like home made moon shine. The government is out to make money on this and they won’t let anyone get in their way. Back in the days when I was young and free, people grew the stuff on their window sill. That’s NT what’s being distributed today.… Read more »
Taken from the CNN article, “In the United States, if illegal drugs were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco, they would yield $46.7 billion in tax revenue. A Cato study says legalizing drugs would save the U.S. about $41 billion a year in enforcing the drug laws.” It’s all about the $$$. I’ve said it all the way along.” I believe that the war was lost in part due to people not buying into it. When you speak to parents, as I have, of teen users who say that they buy the drugs for their kids… Read more »
“I believe that the war was lost in part due to people not buying into it.” As the niece of a cocaine user who took his own life, no. No, and no, and no. Most people don’t turn to drugs unless they have a psychological void that needs filling. I firmly believe that most drug addicts (as opposed to casual users) have psychological illnesses, like depression, that aren’t getting treated. We need to encourage drug treatment as the solution to addiction. It works well for alcohol, yet we have failed to extrapolate this success to other drugs. Why? Because the… Read more »
“That people of color are quite obviously the majority of the people who sell and use drugs. And again, on the surface the numbers would seem to support that argument. However, as the CNN report goes on to point out, (People of color are no more likely to use or sell illegal drugs than white people — yet from 1980 to 2007, blacks were arrested for drug law violations at rates 2.8 to 5.5 times higher than white arrest rates.” Is there somewhere I can get the study that CNN used to substantiate the information? I agree that the “war… Read more »
It means that we should end the “war” part. Fighting a police war against drugs obviously hasn’t solved the issue at all. Instead we should start “The Long-Term Struggle to Identify Unhealthy and Addictive Substances and Educate Our Fellow Citizens in Their Dangers and Safe Use.” I know the title isn’t as catchy, but maybe if we made it any acronym! LTSIUASEOFCTDSU sounds just about right. It’s time to try other methods, like education! And yes, sadly CNN did not cite their sources. Fortunately, a little poking about and I found two interesting studies that support their claim. The first… Read more »
Sorry, meant to add one more thing. YES, legalizing marijuana will do HUGE amounts of good. Most importantly will we stop throwing people in jail for a victimless crime, seizing their assets, and ruining their future. We will also stop spending lots of tax money providing those lovely services. We will (hopefully) also remove one of the major sources of bodies for the prison-industrial complex. We will take funds out of the pockets of the Mexican drug cartels. We will ensure that people who smoke weed do so in a safe and regulated way. We can finally start to do… Read more »
TRUTH!! I love this article. As a student heavily involved in fighting to end the drug war, I’m so glad these kinds of articles are being written and circulated in more and more places in our culture. Drug prohibition DOES NOT WORK. Criminalizing drugs and users DOES NOT STOP DRUG USE. In fact, it may even increase it. (See The Netherlands, Portugal, Argentina). The war on drugs HAS HURT FAR MORE PEOPLE THEN IT HAS HELPED. From top to bottom, the war on drugs ranks one of the least successful legislative policies undertaken by the United States. Besides aiding and… Read more »