The War On Drugs And Its Impact On The United States

The current policy in use by the United States concerning illegal drugs is both outdated and unfair. This so-called war on drugs is a deeply rooted campaign of prohibition and unfair sentencing that is very controversial and has been debated for many years. The war on drugs is designed so that it will never end. This current drug was has very little impact on the overall supply of prohibited drugs and its impact on demand seems non-existent. United States’ taxpayers are spending billions of dollars on this failure of policy. They are spending billions to incarcerate drug users instead offering drug treatment which could help lower demand. Legalizing illicit would lower abuse and deaths from use and could have a positive economic impact on the United States. Certain industries are making massive sums of money by capitalizing on the drug war. Currently, many prisons are beginning to be run by private corporations. If a company is running a prison then they need prisoner s to stay in business. Around 1 in every 107 Americans is currently being housed in a prison. The United States has about 5 percent of the world’s population yet 25 percent of its prisoners(ACA, 2008). This is the easiest way to maintain a large prison population is by maintaining the current drug war. The largest private prison company in the United States is Corrections Corp. of America(ACA, 2008). In the last twenty years, CCA has donated nearly $5 million dollars to certain politicalShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"The War On Drugs Is A Big Fucking Lie†. In Recent History,1560 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The war on drugs is a big fucking lie† In recent history, there has been much rhetoric surrounding the eradication of cross-border drug trafficking. The â€Å"war on drugs† was introduced in the 1970s by Nixon, who wanted to eliminate the drugs coming into the United States, since they were seen by him as a threat to our nation. Many laws have been enacted with the purpose keeping illicit drugs out of the United States, yet they do so through the use of nativist ideology, which upholds white supremacyRead MoreDrug Trafficking1134 Words   |  5 PagesThe international drug trade from Latin American states is having an impact on a global scale. The trafficking of drugs along with corruptness and murder is an international conflict that is being fought daily. There are many aspects of the drug war from Mexico and other Latin American states which have effects on United States policy as well as policies from other countries that participate in the global suppression of illegal drugs. It can be hard to differentiate between conflict and issueRead MoreDrug Abuse And The Unwinnable War1462 Words   |  6 PagesDrug Abuse and the Unwinnable War Drugs are not a new thing by any means and have been commonplace in most cultures at one point or another. Throughout the known history of the world humans have used drugs to provide mind and mood altering experiences. Evidence of the production of alcohol can be traced back to the description of a brewery in an Egyptian papyrus as early as 3500 B.C (Fort, J. 1969). On a seemingly primal level, humans have always had some incessant need to alter their state of consciousnessRead MoreEssay on Mexican/Latin American â€Å"War† on Drugs and Trafficking1122 Words   |  5 PagesThe international drug trade from Latin American states is having an impact on a global scale. The trafficking of drugs along with corruptness and murder is an international conflict that is being fought daily. There are many aspects of the drug war from Mexico and other Latin American states which have effects on United States policy as well as policies from other countries that participate in the global suppression of illegal drugs. It can be hard to differentiate between conflict and issue inRead MoreRyan Stone . Mrs. Aikey . English 11 Honors, 6Th Hour.1566 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish 11 Honors, 6th Hour 28 April 2017 The War on Drugs The War on Drugs had hopes of ending drug possession and usage in the 1971 when president Nixon signed the Drug Prevention and Control Act. Through the years, many people have criticized the war for its failures, and others have commended it for its success. Some people want harsher penalties for drug usage and possession, while others want all drugs to become legal. Although the War on Drugs seems to be a solution to a hot button issue,Read MoreThe War On Drugs And Its Effects On Society1564 Words   |  7 Pages The War on Drugs is a deep-rooted controversial campaign of prohibition and military aid that has been disputed for many years. There are constant debates as to whether there will ever be a viable solution to the problem. However, as we continue to pursue the â€Å"war on drugs,† it has become increasingly evident that â€Å"winning† the war seems to be an impossible task. Drug prohibition and the undertaking of the war on drugs have stirred much controver sy over its moral and logical implications. WhileRead MoreDrug Free Society833 Words   |  4 PagesDrug Free Society Introduction The topic of a drug free society and whether such can ever exist causes many reactions. Some may even ask why this is an important conversation? To begin this discussion it is worthwhile to look historically at why it has become such an issue in the United States. In 1971, President Nixon called for a War on Drugs recruiting the assistance of the Federal Government and in particular the Drug Enforcement Agency [DEA] (Vulliamy, 2011). As part of this measure, NixonRead MoreDrug Wars : The United States1643 Words   |  7 PagesDrug Wars. When people hear the term â€Å"Drug Wars† they think that the cause of all the Drugs and Violence flowing through into the United States, is all Mexico’s fault, that Mexico is the cause of so many deaths and a War that the United States thinks it’s â€Å"Winning†, but they are not even making a little dent. Interestingly enough, Mexico is not the only cause of this War going on around the Border, The United States play s a big role around the Drug Wars as well. THE TIES THE U.S. HAS WITH MEXICANRead MoreThe Drug War Of America1407 Words   |  6 PagesThe drug war in America has shaped our society into what we know it as today, the war has so far been a failure where hundreds of millions of dollars, workforce, and policies have only served to maintain the same rates of usage as those in the 1970’s. When the drugs hit America, they hit hard. Overwhelmed by drugs showing up in almost every town, America decided to declare war. Drugs first surfaced in the late 1880’s with Opium. Opium at the time was the most in demand drug choice. Opium comes fromRead MoreEffects Of Drugs On The Body1055 Words   |  5 PagesDrugs are something we have had for a long time. It’s something that can heal or kill. A lot of drugs are abused by some of their users in the U.S. and some of them are actually young kids or teens. Besides that, there are a lot of things that are worst than teens abusing drugs. Don’t get me wrong, it is bad just not as bad as the Drug War impact. Drugs affect the body just as much as it does anything else. One drug that affects the body greatly is meth. This is just one of the drugs that can