The Drug War Debacle

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.  – George Santayana

This aphorism can be applied to so many human follies, but it is particularly relevant to our disastrous approach to drugs.  The lessons of the alcohol prohibition in the 20’s seem pretty clear, but somehow they have failed to inform our societal response to the problem of drug abuse.  Almost everyone, - politicians, policymakers, law enforcement and social scientists – agrees that the so-called war on drugs has been an abject failure, but much like our other endless, nightmare wars – Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan – it goes on and on and on.

Let’s look at some facts: 

• It is estimated that we have spent over a trillion dollars fighting the drug war since it was declared by Richard Nixon in 1971.  The annual spend is estimated at around $47 billion.  This includes DEA and other enforcement agencies, judicial and court costs, and incarceration.
• If drugs were legalized and taxed at similar rates to alcohol and cigarettes, the incoming revenue would be around $58 billion.
• This means that over $100 billion dollars would be available to combat drug addiction as a social rather than a criminal problem.
• The proliferation of illegal weapons due to drug crime is astronomical
• Between 25 and 30% of property crime is drug-related.
• About 1/5 of all incarcerations are drug-related.
• It has exacerbated our racial conflict - black drug users are 6 times more likely to be incarcerated than white users and serve much longer sentences.
• Blacks and latinos make up 60% of those serving time for drug offenses but are less than 32% of the population.
• Our illegal drug trade has had catastrophic effects on Mexico, most of Central America and several countries in South America, and is a major factor in increased illegal/undocumented immigration and the breakdown of those societies.

The use of drugs by Americans is summarized in this graph:

Despite massive efforts to interdict drugs coming into the U.S. and the incarceration of vast numbers of drug users and sellers, the number of people using illicit drugs on a monthly basis has not changed much over the last 50 years.  This graph shows the trend from 2002 to 2013:

Ever so slowly, there is recognition in our political realm that the war on drugs is a total failure and that steps must be taken to change the status quo.  There are some significant efforts underway.  The first is the use of alternative sentencing programs that focus more on rehabilitation for drug users.  The second is the legalization of recreational marijuana, which has now occurred in 11 states.  An additional 22 have made medical marijuana legal.

I just read a book, Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari, that makes a very strong, data-driven argument for de-criminalizing all drugs.  This may seem like a radical proposition that would result in much higher drug usage and societal problems, but the data Hari presents and the programs he surveys in various countries argue that the exact opposite would occur.

Understanding the nature of drug use and addiction is critical to minimizing it.  Trauma, depression, hopelessness, poverty, unemployment, sickness and other factors play a large role.  These are not easy problems to solve, but putting people who use drugs in prison and making their addiction a Russian roulette of costly drug acquisition and overdose risks only makes these problems worse.

Like so many other problems we face, the time has come to search for solutions in a methodical, bi-partisan manner.  Drug legalization is not as clearly partisan as one might think.  Many conservatives and libertarians have proposed marijuana legalization in the past, and one has the impression that conservatives would be open to allowing research and studies on various treatment options.  It is time to jettison the war on drugs and focus our resources and attention on managing the social problem of drug abuse just as we did 90 years ago when we repealed prohibition and found ways to live with alcohol.