Winning the Battle, but not the War? What has the “War on Drugs” really accomplished?

In the recent months, more attention has been allocated to the effects of the “War on Drugs” instituted by the government in the 1970’s. The ACLU released a report in June 2013, highlighting three key areas of the “War on Drugs” that now, statistically, seem to conflict with the aims of curbing drug use, possession, and distribution. The ACLU report, entitled “The War on Marijuana in Black and White” captures the racial bias in the application of the “War on Drugs” in addition to the allocation of money and police officers to fighting this “War.”

On August 12, 2013, Attorney General Eric Holder issued a statement in front of members of the ABA stating that the federal government is looking to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes as well as implement other measures. Holder noted that it is unclear if there are positive effects coming out of the now 40-year old war on drugs.

Following the Emmy’s on September 22nd, Michael Douglas shared his personal views, derived in part from personal experience, expressing his distaste for the current status quo amongst drug policies.

Has the United States been misguided over the last forty-some years in executing this war on drugs? Were the original intentions justified? Does public perception alone signal that something should be done to change the current practices regarding arrest and conviction of drug offenders?

The ACLU report in its entirety seems to demonstrate that states and the federal government may be spinning their wheels in an effort to substantiate the use of so many resources for, to some, a questionable policy.  Should we be concerned that, according to the ACLU report, “In 2010, there were more than 200,000 people incarcerated on the sole charge of marijuana possession,” and, that African American’s are “3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person”?

It seems pertinent to ask whether the “War on Drugs,” in its current form, is serving the purposes originally intended. For instance, are we as a society so concerned with marijuana possession that it justifies arresting hundreds of thousands of people each year? The ACLU report found that, “Of all marijuana arrests in 2010, 784,021, or 88%, were for possession. Similarly, 88% of all marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010 — 7,295,880 out of 8,244,943 — were for possession.” Should our efforts and resources be allocated to arresting individuals for possession charges? Consider too, the 784,021 individuals arrested in 2010 logically obtained their marijuana from somewhere. Should the police and prosecutorial efforts be focused more on distributors rather than users? Is there a difference in terms of culpability?

 

The House I Live In

I recently watched “The House I Live In” a documentary about the cost of the War on Drugs. “The House I Live In” won the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary is available from multiple outlets, including Netflix.

Here is a description of the documentary:

Why We Fight director Eugene Jarecki shifts his focus from the military industrial complex to the War on Drugs in this documentary exploring the risks that prohibition poses to freedom, and the tragedy of addicts being treated as criminals. In the four decades since the War on Drugs commenced, more than 45 millions of addicts have been arrested — and for each one jailed, another family is destroyed. Meanwhile, the prisons in America are growing overcrowded with non-violent criminals, and illegal drugs are still being sold in schoolyards. By examining just where it all went wrong, Jarecki reveals that a solution is possible if we can just find it in ourselves to be compassionate, and see past the decades of paranoia and propaganda.