The War on Drugs – is it time to rethink our approach?

The following is a guest post by Kalen Smith, who writes on behalf of drug-rehab.org, a nonprofit substance abuse referral and resource center. Kalen has been writing about drug abuse and addiction for the past five years and can be reached at kalens9112@gmail.com.

 

Rethinking the War on Drugs

The United States and most of the rest of the world has been on a crusade to purge the world of narcotics for over 40 years. Unfortunately, the measures we are taking to win this campaign have failed.

The War on Drugs was a national initiative started by President Nixon in 1971. Nixon told Congress that drug use had become so prevalent in the United States that lawmakers needed to take “emergency measures” to counteract it. The United Nations also signed the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs in the early 1960s. Those measures focused primarily on prohibition and military involvement.

How Are We Faring in the Drug War?

How far have we come in the decades since Nixon enacted the War on Drugs? Here are some disturbing statistics that show the world is losing that war:

• In 2010, all government spending on fighting drug use exceeded $40 billion. Despite those measures, nearly two million people are arrested each year for drug related offenses.
• Some states spend close to $50,000 a year incarcerating minor drug users.
• The number of people imprisoned for drug related offenses has increased nearly 15 times in the past 30 years.
• Approximately 85 percent of high school students said that they can purchase marijuana legally.
• Over 50,000 people have been killed in Mexico’s drug war. Many of them were children as young as five years old.
• Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing problem in the country.
• The Global Commission on Drug Policy said that the campaign to eliminate drug abuse has failed and new reforms will be needed.

After reading these statistics, it is easy to think that nothing can be done to end illicit drug use. That isn’t the case at all. We can certainly fight the war on drugs. However, we need to think about why we are losing and what we need to do differently.

Flaws with Our Strategy

The War on Drugs is an aggressive campaign that relies on prohibition and a show of force. The efforts we have taken have put some dealers out of business. While it is easy to view that as a sign that the War on Drugs is working, it actually seems to be working against us.

According to Tyler Cowen, a famous economist, the measures we are taking are completely counterproductive. Putting a few drug kingpins out of business means the rest of the dealers can charge more for their products. They are able to use more money to build up their arsenal and put local cops, DEA agents and judges on their payrolls.

Another problem with prohibition is that it focuses on a few drugs that have been criminalized. It does little to address the growing numbers of people abusing prescription drugs such as Oxycodone. Pharmaceutical companies spent more than half a trillion dollars marketing prescription drugs in 2006. Most of these drugs are discretely peddled by a few people who know how to stay off the DEA’s radar.

No matter how much money we spend on prohibition, illegal drugs continue to flood our streets. What is a different solution?

Another Option: Decriminalization and Treatment

Many people are terrified of the idea of decriminalizing drugs. They argue that making drugs legal is an admission that we have lost the war on drugs and will make it much easier for people to access them.

Decriminalization is not the same thing as legalization. Instead of imposing prison sentences, some lawmakers are proposing mandatory treatment for people found with illegal drugs. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has proposed such a bill.

Critics claim that Christie’s bill would be an extremely expensive attempt to address the problem. However, Christie said that the cost of providing treatment for someone caught abusing substances would be less than half what it would cost to incarcerate them.

This is an interesting proposal, but would it be effective? Denmark was the first country to decriminalize drugs. According to data from Denmark, decriminalization and treatment seems to be a powerful approach. Denmark still doesn’t tolerate dealers. Anyone caught trafficking illegal drugs will still be arrested and fined.

Critics in Denmark were initially concerned that decriminalization would make drug use more widespread and lead to more deaths. However, after five years of decriminalization, the number of deaths arising from drug overdoses each year has dropped by 25 percent. The number of cases of HIV from drug use also dropped about 75 percent right after drugs were decriminalized.

Should We Rethink that War on Drugs?

Decriminalizing drugs is a controversial stance. However, it may be the best way to win the war on drugs. Several nations have already tried it and the data shows they are faring better in fighting drug abuse than we are. We may need more data before we can be sure that decriminalization is the best approach. However, one thing is certain: the initiatives we have taken to win the War on Drugs have failed.