opinion piece

The War On Drugs :
Of all the wars in the United States or even around the world, the war on drugs seems to be the most expensive, and longest war. According to the Office Of National Drug Control Policy,The U.S. Federal Government spent over 15 Billion tax Dollars in 2010 on the war on drugs at a rate of about $500 a second. State and local governments spent at least another 25 billion dollars. According to the Federal Bereau Of Investigation, Arrests for drug law violations this year are expected to exceed the 1,663,582 arrests of 2009. Law enforcement made more arrests for drug abuse violations (an estimated 1.6 million arrests, or 13.0 percent of the total number of arrests) than for any other offense in 2009. Someone is arrested every 15 seconds for violating drug laws every 19 seconds. Of all the drug arrests in 2010, 52% were for marijuana and of those arrests 89% were for small possesion. In the time span of 10 years (2001-2010) 7 million people were busted for pety, non-violent drug crimes. Potentially ruining peoples lives,sending them to jail, preventing them from getting student loans,giving them a criminal record and making them pay hefty fines. Instead of spending all our money on a system that is obviously not working, the government should put all those tax dollars towards more classrooms, schools, educational programs, science and medical research, health care etc. although drugs are not good, the united states government is spending way too much of our tax dollars on a war that is supposed to protects us, but the only thing this war is doing is creating violence, loss of time, money and lives.