The money generated by illegal drug sales feeds the violent street gangs engine to cause havoc on the communities they prey upon. In turn the government taxes the population to spend billions to fight drugs and punish users as well as dealers. The result of the government’s efforts is pathetic when you consider the availability of drugs in our communities and the fearlessness of dealers to incarceration.
The war on drugs causes massive loss of civil liberties to the population and puts law enforcement into a position of enforcing laws that go against people’s right to inflict damage to their own lives and not just when they inflict damage to others. The war on drugs pitifully attacks the problem of addiction and mostly goes after prevention and incarceration, and the results are that only a small percentage of drugs are prevented from going into the streets at the expense of civil liberties and addiction prevention.
The war on drugs is “An understandable effort but unpractical.” Simply people have the right to get high and destroy their own lives if they choose to do it. They do not have the right to contribute to minors or endanger the population at large via recklessness or violence caused by drug use.
The government should declare an armistice on the war on drugs. The billions no longer needed to fight drugs can be used partially in addiction prevention and job creation in communities most affected by drug and gang violence. Furthermore the future billions in taxation from legal drug purchases “same as taxing alcohol and cigarettes” can be used for further help in education, job creation and other programs to help those who normally would be involved in illegal activities related to drugs to better their communities and live normal working lives. The relief on law enforcement and the court system can be used to further fight violent criminals and destroy street gangs once and for all since there loss of profits from illegal drugs will devastate there structure and motivation to wage war on each other and their communities.
The prohibition era taught us to outlaw a vice only causes massive profit and people literally wages war for that profit. It is understandable to want to eradicate alcoholism and drug addiction because of its devastation to society but some things cannot be completely stopped and especially not at a more devastating cost then to allow the people to simple do as they wish with their lives even if it is harmful.
Legalization of drugs is better than the war on drugs and if we legalize drugs we will have the monies to attack the real problem addiction.