The War on Drugs was started by President Nixon 40 years ago and a recent Op-Ed in the NY Times explains how it has failed.

Nicholas Kristof describes three ill-effects of the War on Drugs:

1. Increased incarceration.

The United States now incarcerates people at a rate nearly five times the world average. In part, that’s because the number of people in prison for drug offenses rose roughly from 41,000 in 1980 to 500,000 today. Until the war on drugs, our incarceration rate was roughly the same as that of other countries.

2. Increased the price and subsequently the profits of drug lords.

One reason many prominent economists have favored easing drug laws is that interdiction raises prices, which increases profit margins for everyone, from the Latin drug cartels to the Taliban.

3. Wasted resources.

Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard economist, found that federal, state and local governments spend $44.1 billion annually enforcing drug prohibitions. We spend seven times as much on drug interdiction, policing and imprisonment as on treatment.

I also just watched a documentary on MS 13 (World’s Most Dangerous Gang) which connected the gang’s power with drug sales.

One simple point I hope my readers can ponder. When was the last time you saw a gas station owner get in a gun fight with another gas station for the rights to sell beer in a neighborhood.

Also check out what the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP, is doing to support a sound drug policy. This is an organization of police officers, prosecutors, judges and citizens who favor a dramatic liberalization of American drug laws.