America prides itself on being a “free” Country, however, we incarcerate more people than any other Country in the World.  While the U.S. make up 5% of the World’s population, we incarcerate 25% of the World’s population.  How crazy is that?  Three Fourths of those we arrest in this Country every year are imprisoned for low-level, non-violent drug possession, and most of those arrested are poor and Black.  Despite higher levels of drug use and possession among whites, 90% of those arrested are poor people of color.  How does the U.S. Drug War reflect democratic values in any way?

The US. Government has spent over one Trillion dollars on a drug war that imprisoned over 45 million people, without any decrease in drug use or addiction.  Despite this tragic endless and meaningless war,  many smaller and poorer Countries have managed to come up with far better, more humane and effective drug policies than our own.

Criminalizing and incarcerating non-violent drug users has actually added to the problem of drug abuse and the drug trade, making both far less regulated and far more violent.  Even more disturbing, our drug policies have turned a non-criminal public health and economic problem into a law enforcement problem.  This fact has created devastating results for Americans and non-American’s alike, as the Drug War Policy has turned the Drug War into a $400 Billion Global Industry.  The saddest part of all, are the communities and families, jobs and livelihoods which have been destroyed, along with their voting rights.

Despite the Drug War’s continued failure, we have done little if nothing to change it.  Maybe the Drug War is actually something else:  a war on communities of color and a lost War on Poverty itself.  Our government has failed to improve the economic disparities which keep getting worse, while it seems we blindly throw law enforcement at these deeper systemic problems, as if we can fix them through brute force alone.

 

Even more, by criminalizing a symptom, we have deepened the problem,  and, furthered the racial and economic disparities which have lead to more violent and more dangerous drug-related crimes.  Sounds like a vicious cycle to me.

But there are solutions and Countries, like Portugal, for example, have ‘decriminalized’ drug use and drug addiction.  For example, unless the drug user is also dealing in large quantities or engaged in other forms of criminal behavior, no police, court or jail is required.  Those that are found with illegal drugs are are still sanctioned with fines, and community service.  Those that have more serious drug problems are deferred to matching treatment options and needs.  Referrals are made, supporting an infrastructure of health care and related services that provide harm reduction approaches, such as, detox, group support, therapy and eventually housing and job training-not to mention- all for free due to Portugal’s Universal Health Care.As a result of these efforts, long-term studies in Portugal have shown that deferred treatment costs LESS than imprisonment.

In the US, it costs us $40,000-$60,000 a year to send one person to jail;  the same amount it costs to send that person to a University.  It is time we get serious about ending this failed drug war and utilize that nearly one trillion dollars for much-needed public health care, treatment, education, and job creation.