War on drugs

War on Drugs
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War on Drugs
Since the implementation of the war on drugs policy in 1982 by Reagan’s administration, the level of drug use dropped from 14.4% to 6.6% in 1991 (“Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,” 2001). The war on drugs policy is attributed to the significant growth of the prison population. Harsher sentences requiring mandatory imprisonment of all drug offenders led to the increased population in prisons.
However, the war against crime cannot be won by simply increasing the number of arrests. All these things increase the prison population and put extra strain on the justice system. There are numerous factors to consider. Firstly, most of the arrested drug offenders are not the kingpins. According to the United States Sentencing Commission, only 11% of the federal drug defendants consisted of high-level dealers. The majority consisted of street dealers or mules (Blumenson & Nilsen, 1998).
Secondly, the current asset forfeiture laws passed by Congress creates incentives for police to favor drug enforcement department making them divert attention and resources from other crimes. In 1994, the police had seized over one billion in assets. Over eighty percent of the asset seized failed to lead to a conviction (“United States Sentencing Commission,” 2002).
In summary, the war on drugs policy has made steps towards lessening drug use; however, to completely eradicate drug use there is a need for a new and more effective policy.

The new policy should not be punishment-oriented, rather it should be rehabilitation oriented. Numerous studies have suggested that drug treatment is a much cheaper way to control drug and substance abuse. Also, the criminal justice system should reconsider the mandatory imprisonment policy and integrate treatment options in the prison system.

References
Blumenson, E., & Nilsen, E. (1998). Policing for profit: The drug war’s hidden economic agenda. The University of Chicago Law Review, 65(1), 64.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2001). Summary of findings from the 2000 National Household Survey on drug abuse. National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Series, H-13.
United States Sentencing Commission. (2002). Cocaine and federal sentencing policy. The Commission.