|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sick of the War on Drugs
To the editor, The "War on Drugs" has burdened our economy long enough. The "War" drains the wealth of non-drug users. It raises taxes for those who say "NO" and supports an effort to put an endless amount of drug users in prison. Prison populations are higher than they have ever been in the U.S. Right now there are 1.5 million prisoners in state and federal prisons and jails in the U.S. Over half of those prisoners are there due to drug offenses. Nearly fifty-seven percent of all federal prisoners fit this category. Why is this a drain on the economy? At a cost of $30,000 a year per prisoner, the need for public funds rapidly rises. Politicians in Washington, in trying to become more "tough" on the nasty drug users and dealers, come up with the ideas like mandatory minimum sentences. This keeps the drug prisoners in prison for longer periods of time. They also want to strengthen the Drug Enforcement Agency, so they can catch more drug users and put them in jail. To give the DEA more strength it will require more tax money form citizens, which is money they will not be able to spend on goods and services they actually want, thus undermining the market. Due to the government's fight against the people who use illegal drugs (a distinction must be made that the FDA decides which drugs will be dangerous to us, marijuana and heroin, while aspirin and alcohol are not in this category), the black market for these illegal drugs has increased their prices. For now let us forget the safety aspect of buying drugs on the black market. They cost more than a competitive market would have allowed. When a good is contraband, smugglers see an instant bonus profit. Their profit is increased since the good's supply is dramatically lowered by the government-imposed shortage, however the demand does not keep with their goods due to the risk assumed by the dealer and the artificial shortage in supply. Although it would seem the government comes out ahead, they really do not. They must tax their non-drug-using citizens more money and use that money to house the drug users and dealers. This creates dissension within the tax-paying population. With more dissension, the citizens at some point will either rebel or stop paying taxes. It may be too late for drug reform from Washington, they will not even allow doctors in Arizona, Oregon, or California to prescribe marijuana, like the citizens voted to allow. The biggest group to profit is the drug dealers who become more wealthy due to the government's policy toward drugs. Not only has the government angered its "good" citizens, but it is responsible for exactly what it was trying to stop, a more profitable drug trade. What will be the breaking point for the citizens towards the "Drug War?"
Travis Klein |
