Year after year, decade after decade, The U.S. government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars trying to make America “drug-free”. Yet heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines and other illicit drugs are cheaper, purer and easier to get than ever before. In the United States, nearly half a million people are behind bars on drug charges. This number is more than all the incarcerations for drug offenses in Western Europe, with a larger population. (Drug Policy Alliance March 2001). Yes, drugs present serious challenges to all our societies. Until we recognize drug use is here to stay, we have no choice but to continue to throw away billions of U.S. dollars at the problem. Availability of drugs will not change and the prison population will continue to grow. Throughout this blog you will learn the history of the war on drug policy and the overall impact on society made by this policy. Alternatives to the war on drugs will be discussed, including successful harm reduction strategies implemented in foreign countries. A look at the limited harm reduction strategies enacted in the U.S. will be discussed as well. Lastly, regulation and taxation will be discussed as a potential effective strategy in ending the war on drugs.
