Observer editorial: The 21st century Prohibition

Being located in such close proximity to the state of Colorado, it is not hard to find onself in the midst of a discussion concering the matter of marijuana use, or decriminalization of drugs.

Forty-two years ago, then-President Richard Nixon famously declared a “war on drugs.” Despite his (and his successors’) noble intentions, this war has grown larger, fiercer and more dangerous in the decades that followed his declaration.

It is estimated that the United States spends over $40 billion each year on the war on drugs. This includes police spending, court costs to try drug users and traffickers and an array of penal costs spent on imprisoning those found guilty of drug-related charges.

In inner-city areas across the nation, the alure of the quick profit that can be turned in the drug industry has been pointed to as one of the driving factors, along with poverty and poor education systems, for higher dropout rates for high school students.

Over the past three decades, the number of people incarcerated between state and federal prisons in the United States has skyrocketed - from 330,000 to 1.6 million. Roughly half of those in federal prisons and around one-fifth of those in state prisons have been convicted of either using or selling drugs at some point in time.

The continuing violence in Mexico offers another cost in the war on drugs. The more government efforts are intensified, the higher the cost of drugs go, and in turn, the opportunity for higher profits for drug runners exist. These people will then go to extraordinary means to ensure product reaches its intended destination. This includes the willingness to kill. Some 50,000 Mexicans have been killed in the ongoing war against drug cartels in the country. That’s roughly the same percentage as if 150,000 Americans were killed.

Reports from the FDA and the Justice Department state that drugs, even those considered less dangerous by many, such as marijuana, are “dangerous, mind-altering drugs.”

These same studies point to alcohol as a comparison. It is estimated that alcohol related injuries and disease cost the United States some $200 billion each year, despite its being regulated and taxed - as many have proposed with marijuana.

Furthermore, “alcohol consumption declined dramatically during prohibition. Cirrhosis death rates for men were 29.5 per 100,000 in 1911 and 10.7 in 1929. Admissions to State mental hospitals for alcoholic psychosis declined from 10.1 per 100,000 in 1919 to 4.7 in 1928.”

The time is long past due for this country to sit down and have a serious discussion concerning the decriminalization of marijuana.

Countless dollars and lives have been spent to fight a completely unsuccessful war on drugs, placing the burden on American families and taxpayers everywhere.

It is time to discuss how drugs are treated in this nation, how their widespread usage can be addressed, and how taxpayers’ resources can be better utilized concerning this matter.

Continuing to rely on a broken, outdated and costly system to combat drug usage in the United States is no longer a feasible option. With budget concerns lingering and growing with each passing fiscal year and teens turning to the drug trade in hard economic times, the political, spiritual and community leaders of the country have an obligation to come together to tackle drugs in the United States.