Drug war: the Failed War

Résumé du document

The war on drugs has been around since the days of Nixon. We now see a greater influx of purer drugs at a cheaper price. Though the government tried to fight against this growing menace to the world of drugs, the Drug War was not a success and nor is America better off for it. Legislators press for mandatory minimum laws to enable drugs to get cheaper and purer. Thousands are imprisoned and lives are ruined because of fear of drugs. Alternatively, there seems to be another solution in Holland that has proved to be better than tough drug laws. This is the process of decriminalization. Decriminalization would not only stop massive numbers from going to jail but it would make it more difficult for today's youth to get drugs.

Extraits

[...] The war on drugs is a failure and it is time for America to retreat. Bibliography 1. www.lindesmith.org/lindesmith/shadowconventions/factsheet2.html 2. www.voice.bloomu.edu/2-4-99/Opinion.Opinion3.html 3. [...]

[...] This nullifies drug war proponents' arguments that decriminalization would automatically result in more drug use. Perhaps the most compelling argument against the drug war comes from my own personal experience. When I was in junior high school, it was easy to get drugs but nearly impossible to get alcohol. The absence of order in the drug trade allows drug dealers to sell to anyone no matter what the age. Alcohol, on the other hand, is legal yet far harder to obtain for minors because people don't simply offer to sell you alcohol as they do with drugs. [...]

[...] As drugs have gotten cheaper and more potent we have begun to question the rationale behind this war. Is it worth splitting up families? Is it worth the amount of wasted possibilities that sit in our overcrowded prisons? How can we justify our drug policies if other countries have much more liberal laws and yet less of a drug problem? Our children have easy access to drugs directly because they are illegal yet we continue to allow them that access by outlawing drugs. [...]

[...] The vast number of arrests and convictions relating to drugs highlights the fact that the drug war hurts Americans and their families. Close to 500,000 prisoners are incarcerated right now for drug law violations around the country.1 in people are expected to be sentenced to prison for drugs. These convictions can cause great problems for families already struggling to survive out of five female prisoners are mothers and 70% of these are single mothers.2 arresting these women for a victimless crime like drug possession can have a lasting effect on not only her but also her children who are forced into foster care. [...]

[...] Drug war: the Failed War As hard as the government has tried, no part of the Drug War has been a success nor is America better off for it. While legislators enact mandatory minimum laws drugs get cheaper and more pure. Hundreds of thousands are imprisoned and lives are ruined because of our fear of drugs. Yet, there is another solution in Holland that has proved to be better than tough drug laws and that is: decriminalization. Decriminalization would not only stop massive numbers from going to jail but it would make it more difficult for today's youth to get drugs. [...]