The War On Drugs And Its Effects On Society

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.

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.

The war on drugs is a movement that had started in the 1970s and is still evolving from today. Over the years, people have had mixed reactions to the campaign, ranging from full-on support to claims that it has racist and political objectives. People who are affected by drugs are the people you use them and have gotten addicted to the substances that they started using for medical or recreational purposes. The war on drugs has many challenges attached to it but there are five possible solutions that can hopefully end the war on drugs.

The United States government has been wasting millions of dollars each year on a worthless war that cannot be won. This war is explained in detail by author Art Caden in their essay “Let’s Be Blunt” about the United State war on drugs. The war on drugs began in 1971 under the order of President Richard Nixon, and it was one of the worst decisions he ever made. It has been nothing but a waste of government funding, time, and manpower that can only be described as a dismal failure and should be repealed or at the very least medical marijuana should be made legal.

The war on drugs has cost our government a vast amount of money that could be better spent elsewhere. In fiscal year 2013 alone, the United States government spent $25.6 billion in an effort to prevent drug use and its consequences. This was $415.3 million (1.6%) increase from the previous year. [1] This indicates that our government has no intentions of backing off of their drug stance any time soon. Overall, the national drug control budget costs the government more than the state, commerce, and interior departments combined. In addition, large number of drug-related trials clog our nation’s criminal justice courts, and often times the result of these cases is imprisonment for the accused. Since the start of the war on drugs, the country’s incarcerated population has increased sevenfold, and over one percent of the population now resides in a prison. [3] There are currently more people behind bars for drug charges today than there were people behind bars for any reason in 1980. [2] Keeping all of these prisoners incarcerated costs

In conclusion, the “war on drugs” was created under false pretenses and has done nothing but hurt this country. Due to these substances being illegal, it makes users reluctant to go out and receive the help they desire, which causes them to be stuck in a deadly cycle of drug use and incarceration. It is almost as if the shadow of Nixon’s political machinations still looms over this nation, whether you use drugs or not you are only hurt by the drug war. Sometimes the best way to win, is to no play at

The term “War on drugs” was first announced when President Richard Nixon created a volume of programs intended to suppress the consumption of certain recreational drugs in 1972. It marked the beginning for the era of mandatory minimum sentencing, privatized prisons, racism, and constituency that profits as a result of the illegal drugs. The “Just Say No” and the D.A.R.E. campaign were created to help youths from starting to use drugs but they were not effective. Treatment programs have directed their attention to current drug user and to stop future drug users. The war on drugs war that is being fought our backyards every day. This is a war that cannot be won by military arms or peace treaties but we must uphold those responsible that our

The issue of legalization of drugs is among the most polarizing debates in modern history. It is commonplace to use the term ‘epidemic’ for the level of drug abuse prevalent in the country today. Yet, the proponents and opponents of legalization of drugs passionately defend their arguments and find logical fallacies with the arguments of the opposing camps. Both sides, however, generally agree that the current ‘war on drugs’ is not working as expected and there is significant room for improvement because the cost of such a war often exceeds its benefits.

The “War on Drugs” has been a hot topic for several decades in the United States. The argument for the success of this campaign usually varies depending on one’s political affiliation. The government handled the ongoing campaign differently with each new administration taking command, most of them having no little success. The fact of the matter is that the ideal of a “drug free civilization” is far from reality. The world is coming to terms that the various drug-fighting programs across the world are not producing the desired results. In fact, UN Office on Drugs and Crime doesn’t publicly aspire to reach a drug-free world. That wishful scenario seems very close to impossible at this moment. The office biggest claim to fame is that that the international drug markets have stabilized, which is not very optimistic.

The current policy in use by the United States concerning illegal drugs is both outdated and unfair. This so-called war on drugs is a deeply rooted campaign of prohibition and unfair sentencing that is very controversial and has been debated for many years. The war on drugs is designed so that it will never end. This current drug was has very little impact on the overall supply of prohibited drugs and its impact on demand seems non-existent. United States’ taxpayers are spending billions of dollars on this failure of policy. They are spending billions to incarcerate drug users instead offering drug treatment which could help lower demand. Legalizing illicit would lower abuse and deaths from use and could have a positive economic impact on the United States. Certain industries are making massive sums of money by capitalizing on the drug war.

In 2014 1,297,348 people were arrested for non-violent drug charges (drug policy, 2015). These people’s lives are now forever changed because of a mistake they made. This mistake is continually made every single day and Americans are being punished in extreme ways for a non violent crime. The United States needs to decimalize all drugs because the drug war is costly, causes high incarceration rates, and isn’t effective as European drug solutions.

Why is this a problem? Is it unreasonable to protect the majority of the population from the evils drugs can do? Well, in short, no. The problem with the war on drugs really has nothing to do with the problem of drugs in America, it has to do with the problem America has with who is “using” these drugs. I do not believe the creation of the Drug War was completely misguided, but it certainly did result that way. Throughout this paper, I am going to explore the history, impacts, reasons, and solutions surrounding the War on Drugs and why it is a legal way to target minorities on American soil.

Just a little over a year and a half after being in office President Reagan declared a “war on drugs”, creating a zero tolerance policy. The “war on drugs” claimed that it would reduce drug use if they were made illegal. The common misconception of the idea of this solution if that by restricting the supply of illicit drugs for the demand the price would increase making it harder for users to afford the habit and further discourage users from using. When in reality this shifted individuals into digging themselves deeper into hazards through, convictions, increased health risks due to stronger drugs being the available, and dependencies. Because this can also create an increase of racial tension due to the fact that the war on drugs

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.

The War on Drugs has led to an increase in the mass incarceration of people of color and minorities, which is a problem in the United States. In the past thirty years, the number of females jailed across the country, many of whom are poor with mental health and drug problems. The increase in the incarceration of females has had a devastating impact on their children, families and communities. This paper will describe the authors of Upper Bunkies Unit and Orange Is the New Black who wrote their respective books about the same prison, the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, a low-security female prison. Both books contain many themes, such as broken families, limited services available and substance abuse treatment. This paper will also explore many factors influencing the success or failure of incarcerated females in reintegrating after their release from prison. Literature will be used to provide insight into the lives of females behind bars by focusing on their well-being and resources available. In addition, the current trend in treatment, such as substance abuse and mental health treatments will be discussed. Lastly, collateral consequences will be explored.