The impact that the drug trade has on every facet of our lives - government, family lives, neighborhoods, friendships, international relations, crime, and more - is once again in the spotlight amid recent escalations of violence near the US/Mexican border and beyond.  Kidnappings, theft, contracted murder…  Many Americans that live near the borders in California, Mexico, and Texas, or who travel abroad for business or pleasure, are understandably frightened.  Perhaps naturally so, reactions tend to favor stricter enforcement and harsher penalties, standard fare for the “War on Drugs.”

Unfortunately, the War on Drugs hasn’t worked.  What we want is healthier people, safe neighborhoods, reduced budget burdens, and better relationships with our international brethren.  What we’ve got is a nice sense of righteousness and retribution, along with the exact opposite of those desired outcomes.  But never in history has a US politician been successful without being tough on drugs.

I think it’s time for a change.  In college, I wrote a 30 page literature review on the history, consequence, and prospects for United States Drug Policy.  Here are the facts:

• The United States spends over $20 billion dollars per year on drug enforcement and interdiction.  Billions more are then required to support a bevy of overtaxed systems. Criminal courts are inundated, and penal institutions are overflowing with drug-related sentences.  California in particular has led the nation in the sentencing of drug offenders and has incarceration rates nearly three times the national average.  Not only that, early release of many different types of inmates is common due to overcrowding.  Meanwhile, taxpayers are forced to bear the responsibility of these actions as cost of drug enforcement continue to rise.

• Unfortunately, observation seems to demonstrate the failure of these efforts.  The United Nations International Drug Control Programme states that the United States is still the leading consumer of illicit drugs worldwide.  Quite frankly, the use of mind-altering substances by a segment of society is common worldwide, from the start of civilization to today.

• As a result of drug prohibition and staunch enforcement, suppliers have decreased the size and increased the potency of their products, making them more addictive and medically risky (this happened with alcohol during prohibition too).

• The “War on Drugs” has bred a black market for drugs, thereby actually increasing crime and violence in our society, which occurs mainly in the form of trafficking related activity (turf wars, etc.) and not at the user level.  This black market also opens the door for corruption amongst law enforcement and politicians.

• Drug related crime that does occur at the user level is mostly crime against property.  Even then though, research has shown that criminal delinquency usually precedes drug use, so it is hard to link the drugs as the cause, which is often the belief held by society.

• With limited resources, stronger drug enforcement requires a sacrifice in other important non-drug law enforcement.

There are a broad spectrum of differing policy approaches that could be used to better manage this issue.  What is the right approach?  I have some ideas (different post) but I don’t know.  All I know for sure it that what we’re doing isn’t it.