5 Reasons the War on Drugs Is a Costly Economic Disaster

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/london-school-economics-report-reveals-economic-disasters-war-drugs


Closeup of a handgun of Mexican federal police forces maintaining order in the violent border city of Ciudad Juarez.
Photo Credit: Frontpage / Shutterstock.com

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1. Law Enforcement Paradox: Crackdowns Bolster Violent Dealers

Drug prices on the blackmarket are decreasing while drug doses are becoming more and more potent. This is happening “despite drastic increases in global enforcement spending,” according to the LSE report. This trend alone is evidence enough to argue that the current system of drug enforcement isn’t working.

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2. Costs of Global Counternarcotics Efforts Far Outweigh Benefits

The US has led counternarcotics efforts—activities aimed at dismantling the narcotic drug trade—abroad for three decades based on incorrect assumptions, states the report. They assume that drug suppression policies reduce drug consumption by reducing the number of drugs that make it into the states. They also assume their efforts foster the US goals of taking down terrorists and militant groups involved in the drug trade. But these assumptions have been wrong as each effort on the part of US counternarcotics has had serious side effects.

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3. Displaced Populations in Colombia and Mexico

As drug-related violence has increased in Mexico and Columbia as a result of the war on drugs, thousands of families have been forced to leave home and flee the violence.

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4. Mass Incarceration

There are over 9 million people in prison worldwide (25 percent of them are in the US). The report explains how “large scale systems of punishment,” or mass incarceration, are a public health disaster.

[Fumesucker]

1. The drug war does exactly what it is actually supposed to do and does it superbly

Don't be fooled by rationales put forth for public consumption, the drug war is all about control and oppression which it does amazingly well.

The drug war is an economic disaster for the 99%, for the 1% it is a gravy train and it was deliberately made that way like so many other things in our society.

[KG]

2. couldn't have said it better myself....

[xchrom]

3. +2

[Scuba]

4. Nailed it.

[Fumesucker]

5. The drug war is one of the primary manifestations of white privilege

Whites and blacks use drugs in roughly similar percentages, maybe blacks a bit less and yet blacks go to prison far more often for drug crimes, they are also arrested more often and get harsher sentences.

[Scuba]

6. Good example. Thanks.

[RKP5637]

7. Well said! n/t