Drug War 2 Essay, Research Paper

The issue of whether to decriminalize drugs or not is a controversial topic. There are many different ways to reform the drug war in the United States including making punishments harsher for drug offenders or making drugs legal. Drugs should become legal because it will create less taxes for citizens, lower drug related arrests, lower prison populations, create a purer drug, and lower the death rate.

During the prohibition era, the government did not have control over alcohol, the mafia did. With the illegality of alcohol by the 18th amendment, the mafia could produce liquor and therefore had considerable control over those who wanted their substance and service. Judges and law enforcement officers were bought off so the supply of liquor could continue. The 21st amendment legalized alcohol once again. When this amendment passed, the gangs that supplied the alcohol during prohibition were no more because alcohol was legal (libertarian issues). The 21st amendment should also legalize drugs because with the legalization of drugs a decrease in homicides related to drug deals would occur and also the price would lessen because bigger businesses could produce drugs at a cheaper price, thus reducing crimes that are committed to support a drug habit.

Taxes will be placed immediately on all drugs sold which will significantly increase the government s income. The more money that government receives is more

Less than 20% of all inmates in state prisons are drug offenders (Statistical Abstract of the United States No. 383). If the 13.6 million illicit drug users in the United States now are combined with all the inmates who are drug offenders of non-violent charges, that will equal a very big income from taxes for the federal government if they are set free. The average cost in 1997 to incarcerate a federal inmate was $23,000. As stated above, 59% of all federal inmates are drug offenders and to feed, clothe, and guard these inmates, per year, is 1.27 billion dollars (Human Rights Drug War 101). Over 1 billion dollars will be saved per year due to legalization of drugs. The rate of drug-related arrests for 1997 was 602.5 per 100,000 persons (Statistical Abstract of the United States No. 360). Legalization of drugs will get rid of all these arrests which will make the need of the police officers less which will, in turn, cut down on taxes paid by citizens. As of 1997, 271,323 of all inmates (state and federal) were drug offenders (Statistical Abstract of the United States No. 383).

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If these inmates are released, 25% of the prisoners in the United States will be gone which will depopulate the prisons and lower taxes for the common citizen. If illicit drugs become legal, they will be much safer than they are at the present time. The food and drug administration will test all drugs before they are put on the market to make sure all impurities are out of them and they are pure. At the present time when buying drugs, you do not know what you are buying. They can be laced, mixed with harmful products, or a number of other things. Legalization of drugs will mean that big business made drugs will be sold in stores which will be made cheaper than they are now which will conclude in lower prices for the price of the actual product. People can be confident that the drugs they are buying are pure and know the risks of taking these drugs. The 1996 death rate for drug-induced deaths was 14,843 per 100,000 persons in the United States. The rate of drug-induced deaths for 1996 was 5.2. This rate is a 2.2 increase since 1980 (Statistical Abstract of the United States No. 152). These statistics show that the drug war set by the United States is not working effectively. 5.1% of all murders per 100,000 persons in the United States in 1997 were narcotics related. This number is less than 1,000 murders due to narcotics (Statistical Abstract of the United States No. 152). If drugs are legalized, these 1,000 murders will be eliminated because drugs will be available at the store.

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As concluded that the prohibition of drugs is a faulty turn to the war on drugs , illegal drugs force people into contact with professional criminals, encouraged gang warfare and drug deal related homicides, resulted in people taking impure mixtures in often dangerous methods, and created heavy policing costs and overpopulated prisons and prisons costs. It is not drug abuse that creates these problems, but the way the United States Deals with the drug war. The Drug War is a war the United States cannot win and must be reformed or the problems will grow and grow. Drug abuse should be treated as a medical condition, not criminal. Lower taxes, lowered prison population, and less deaths-isn t this what America strives for? The end of the drug war will do just this.