Effects Of Prohibition On The United States

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.

The economic theory of crime predicts that all else equal, individuals with lower outside options commit more crimes than others. While immigrants are known to have lower levels of education, lower wages, and higher unemployment rates than natives, previous studies have not found a relationship between immigration and crime. Crime rates have been on a decline, even in areas where there are large numbers of immigrant populations. Between the years 1990 and 2013, the foreign-born population grew from 7.9 percent to 13.5 percent in the U.S. Also during this time, data from the Federal Bureau Investigation indicates that the violent crime has decreased almost 50% in robbery, homicide, and assault. The property crime fell a little over 40% in motor

Many feel today we are losing the war on drugs. When a battle goes to the point where there is no winner, there needs to be a re-evaluation of how to solve the problem. In the case of the war against drugs, years of fighting have caused increased crime, overcrowding of prisons, and the wasted use of money and resources with no results. It is now time to look at alternative methods to solve the nation's drug problem.

In the past forty years, the United States has spent over $2.5 trillion dollars funding enforcement and prevention in the fight against drug use in America (Suddath). Despite the efforts made towards cracking down on drug smugglers, growers, and suppliers, statistics show that addiction rates have remained unchanged and the number of people using illegal drugs is increasing daily (Sledge). Regardless of attempts to stem the supply of drugs, the measure and quality of drugs goes up while the price goes down (Koebler). Now with the world’s highest incarceration rates and greatest illegal drug consumption (Sledge), the United States proves that the “war on drugs” is a war that is not being won.

When the Prohibition era in the United States began on January 19, 1920, a few sage observers predicted it would not go well. Certainly, previous attempts to outlaw the use of alcohol in American history had fared poorly. When a Massachusetts town banned the sale of alcohol in 1844, an enterprising tavern owner took to charging patrons for the price of seeing a striped pig—the drinks came free with the price of admission. When Maine passed a strict prohibition law in 1851, the result was not temperance, but resentment among the city's working class and Irish immigrant population. A deadly riot in Portland in 1855 lead to the law's repeal. Now, Prohibition was being implemented on a national scale, and being enshrined in the Constitution no less. What followed was a litany of unintended consequences.

millions, but an estimated $1 billion annually could come flooding in as a result of the

According to the FBI, violent crime did drop drastically from 2010 to 2014, from 1.2 million to 1.1 million. To some that might not be a drastic drop, but it’s still a drop in numbers however you look at it.

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.

America has been fighting an uphill battle on the war on drugs since the days of Nixon. America’s incarceration rates grew during the late 1980s and early 1990s as state and local governments passed “tough-on-crime” legislations. The effort the country has made has not solved the problems they have been trying to cure. If anything the war on drugs fueled the market for drugs and fails to help the victims of drug abuse. The over criminalization of drug users has led to overcrowded prisons which are paid for by the citizens of the United States. Drug enforcement policies should be more lenient in the United States in order to better allocate tax dollars, decrease overcrowded prisons, and regulate drug use leading to a practical plan to

Furthermore, "most marijuana smoked in the United States is grown in the United States" [27 Information Plus]. In fact, across of the States' farmland, cannabis is the number one cash crop [Pollan; ONDCP], surpassing even tobacco. It is also important to note that the elicit cannabis trade can be separated from the illicit "hard" drug trade (cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and the like are all highly profitable and controlled entirely by armed cartels. It is much harder to justify the use of these other drugs given the addiction and social ills associated with their use).

The 18th amendment had good intentions for the people of the 1900s, but this idea took a turn for the worse. Prohibition, which started in the 1920’s, made it illegal to manufacture, sell, transport, import, export, and consume alcoholic beverages (Cannon 1). The banning of alcohol was ultimately trying to lower the crime rates associated with drinking, and improve the citizens health (Klenowski 1). The banning brought more problems than good to the1900’s, it changed the culture of daily life for citizens drastically. The Prohibition era created a very specific culture, including: an uprise in criminals, an increase in illegal acts, and a new way of entertainment that today is known as Nascar. The 21st amendment ended prohibition fourteen years after the 18th amendment was put into place (Klenowski 1). The reasoning behind this was to get America back on track.

Prohibition caused a big political reversal in American politics. The passing of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution showed how deeply unhappy the country was after fourteen years without the ability to legally purchase liquor. Even most Prohibitionists lost confidence among Mob-run bootlegging, crime and open disrespect for the law by the people drinking. The Great Depression caused an unprecedented amount of unemployment, federal tax revenue took a dive and the government looked for a new source of revenue. A new source of federal tax money from legal liquor sales would do nicely.

The War on Drugs, like the war on Terrorism, is a war that America may not be able to afford to win. For over forty years the United States has been fighting the War on Drugs and there is no end in sight. It has turned into a war that is about politics and economics rather than about drugs and criminals. The victims of this war are numerous; but perhaps they are not as numerous as those who benefit from the war itself.

On January 1st, Colorado made history by becoming the first American state were marijuana can be purchased for recreational purposes, and in which marijuana is regulated from the seed to the actual sale of the product (Marijuana Legalization Will Hurt Mexican Cartels, but How Much?). As attitudes in America begin to shift in favor of outright legalization, it increasingly seems possible that more and more states, and eventually the rest of the country might follow. Given the nature of the illegal drug businesses, this might make illegal drug trafficking a commodity. At times, the Office of National Drug Policy has said that as much as 60% of cartel profits come from the production and sale of marijuana. On the other hand, a 2010 RAND study (International Programs and Drug Policy Research Center) estimated the percentage to be between 15 and 26 percent. More recently, research by the Mexican Institute of Competitiveness released in October 2012 suggests that if only Washington, Colorado and Oregon legalized marijuana, than cartel profits would fall as much as 30 percent.

Since the 1960s, State and federal law enforcement have become more focused into putting an end to drug use. Each year, crimes related to drug use has increased, making the government spend tens of billions of dollars arresting, convicting, and jailing drug users. Because of this ongoing problem, the government can’t help but to wonder “will this ever end?” and “Should we stop fighting?” With these questions being raised about a problem so conflicted, The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch have different views and opinions regarding the Drug War’s Standpoint.