Concept of Piglovian Taxes

For many years, drugs have been the center of crime and the criminal justice system in the United States. Due to this widespread epidemic, President Richard Nixon declared the “War on Drugs” in 1971 with a campaign that promoted the prohibition of illicit substances and implemented policies to discourage the overall production, distribution, and consumption. The War on Drugs and the U.S. drug policy has experienced the most significant and complex challenges between criminal law and the values of today’s society. With implemented drug polices becoming much harsher over the years in order to reduce the overall misuse and abuse of drugs and a expanded federal budget, it has sparked a nation wide debate whether or not they have created more harm than good. When looking at the negative consequences of these policies not only has billions of dollars gone to waste, but the United States has also seen public health issues, mass incarceration, and violent drug related crime within the black market in which feeds our global demands and economy. With this failed approach for drug prohibition, there continues to be an increase in the overall production of illicit substances, high rate of violence, and an unfavorable impact to our nation.

     Illicit drug use and the debate surrounding the various legal options available to the government in an effort to curtail it is nothing new to America. Since the enactment of the Harrison Narcotic Act in 1914 (Erowid) the public has struggled with how to effectively deal with this phenomena, from catching individual users to deciding what to do with those who are convicted (DEA). Complicating the issue further is the ever-expanding list of substances available for abuse. Some are concocted in basements or bathtubs by drug addicts themselves, some in the labs of multinational pharmaceutical companies, and still others are just old compounds waiting for society to discover them.

Among highly developed nations, the United States is known for its stringent illegal drug use policy and the high percentages of its population that have consumed illegal substances. The United States has issued a drug war against millions of Americans who use and sell illegal substances. This war has cost taxpayers billions annually and continues to contribute to an incarceration rate that surpasses any other country (Walmsley 2009). Although, stringent policies have lowered the decline in U.S drug consumption since the 1970’s, the war on drugs in the United States has not succeeded in changing America from being the world leaders in use rates for illegal drugs.

In order for a country to finance its government, tax rates are applied trying to distribute those costs as fair as possible. A benefit principle suggests that financing and its rates should be applied accordingly to those receiving a benefit. The ability to pay principle indicates that tax burdens should be applied based on the earning capability of individuals; those that earn more pay more and those earning less pay less.

The War on Drugs has become an epidemic today afflicting United States and the United Nations; which are swayed by global drug laws which preserve the criminal justice system. These new laws promote an ineffective policies on the war on drug. Therefore, communities are locked while the promotion of illicit drugs becomes the dominate framework to organized crimes. Today, the war on drugs continues to be an ongoing battle within our society. This paper will examine these issues focusing primarily on historical struggles controlling our society. Improvement must be lenient punishment policies based on the relevance and/or risk of these psychoactive drugs.

Perhaps a large part of the reason that american drug laws are so ineffective is that the focus is on the punishment, rather than

The War on Drugs has become an epidemic today that has afflicted in the United States and the United Nations; both are influenced by international drug laws which preserve the criminal justice system. These new laws promote an ineffective policies on the war on drugs. Therefore, communities are locked while the promotion of illicit drugs become the dominate framework to organized crimes. Today, the war on drugs continues to be an ongoing battle within our society. This paper will examine these issues focusing primarily on referencing historical context on the struggles controlling the drugs within our society. Effective changes must be made for the war on drugs to be disregarded. First steps of improvement must be lenient punishment policies based on the relevance and/or risk of these psychoactive drugs.

The United States absurdly spends billions to concentrate its efforts on the interdiction of substance use. Law enforcement and labors of exclusion have not been met with reductions in the accessibility of drugs in America. Aside from being remarkably expensive, drug task agencies have demonstrated racial discrimination and unequal anguish distressed by minority communities. Ultimately, it costs the government extreme amounts of taxpayer dollars to maintain this futile war while disregarding the rights of American citizens.

Taxes are essential for they enable the economy to function more properly. Taxes are useful for funding programs such as, public transportation, education, and health care services, however, taxation on goods and other resources can negatively affect individuals whose socioeconomic status is low. In my opinion, taxation has different effects on different areas of our economy, taxes do affect American citizens as well as the economic policy by raising or lowering the amount of income the government receives.

The punishments for drug use are too drastic to effectively combat use. The current drug laws in the United States make it incredibly difficult for many people involved with drugs to permanently recover from drug use. “Punishment for a drug law violation is not only meted out by the criminal justice system, but is

2. What are the benefits of taxes for societies and individuals? The taxes can be used for anything that needs work on or whatever they can use or need it for. So it helps a lot with things like constructions, transportation, and anything in the city or state.

Drugs have become a very controversial subject in America, especially in the past couple of years. Ever since Nixon declared a war on drugs it seems that the use of drugs and the convictions placed on drug users has dramatically risen to great heights. While I admit drug usage can provide serious consequences to an individual’s health, I do feel that some drug enforcement policies have become misguided and muddled over the years. Therefore, some aspects of the United States drug enforcement policies should remain as they are, some should be strengthened or enforced more strongly, and even some should be reevaluated and changed entirely.

The United States has a long-standing history of dealing with people who abuse drugs within the criminal justice system. The war on drugs policy came out of the framework of youthful rebellion and social upheaval in the 1960s. Drug Policy Organization (2014) asserts that drugs became symbols of youthful rebellion and their political dissent towards the government at large. Within substance abuse policy in the United States, the pendulum continues to swing back and forth between the punitive and treatment approaches.

The United States has the highest incarceration rates in the world. According to Attorney General Eric Holder “The U.S. accounts for 5% of the world's population, but 25% of the world’s prisoners”. The United States incarceration rates were not always so drastic. In fact, according to the Sentencing Project, in less than 30 years “The U.S. penal population exploded from around 300,000 to more than 2 million”. The primary contributor to this enormous growth of the prison system is due to The WAR ON DRUGS. Now the question we should be asking: is the war on drugs doing more harm than good?

The drug problem in the U.S. and around the world is an important issue and seems to be a difficult problem to tackle across the board. The inflow of drugs has become one of the largest growths in transnational crime operations; illicit drug use in the United States makes it very difficult for nation states police and customs forces to get a handle on the issues. War on drugs, drug trafficking has long been an issue for the United States. There has been a proclamation of “war on drugs” for the past 44 years.