Should drugs be decriminalized? The US has spent approximately 1 trillion dollars on the War on D...

1. Legislation: Currently in the US, Federal drug laws regulate the possession, trafficking, and manufacturing of drugs.

2. Against W.O.D. Argument: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that 1.6 million people were arrested in the United States in 2001 for drug abuse violations. Nearly one in four persons held in U.S. jails and prisons in 2000 was imprisoned for a drug offense. Of the total federal prison population in 2000, 57% were serving time for drug offenses. The United States now has the highest incarceration rate by far of all industrialized countries" (Eddy, 2003). Despite total expenditures, the War on Drugs has not been effective in deterring drug use nor has been useful in combating the drug epidemics rampant in the US. These drug epidemics emerged during the War on Drugs and continue to devastate.

2.1. Alcohol is legal in the US despite its known dangers and burden it poses onto society.

2.2. One target of the War on Drugs is decrease the flow of drugs being trafficked into the country. "The prices of most drugs, as tracked by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, have plummeted. Between 1981 and 2007, the median bulk price of heroin is down by roughly 93 percent, and the median bulk price of powder cocaine is down by about 87 percent. Between 1986 and 2007, the median bulk price of crack cocaine fell by around 54 percent" (Lopez, 2016). This demonstrates a significant increase of supply and demand in the US.

3. Legislation: "The federal government prohibits the manufacturing, distribution, and possession of many intoxicating substances that are solely intended for recreational use (notable exceptions are alcohol and tobacco); however, the federal government also allows for and controls the medical use of many intoxicants. Federal authority to control these substances primarily resides with the Attorney General of the United States." (Sacco, 2014).

4. Stake holder: Law Enforcement. These members are the ones who carry out the war on drugs and enforce drug laws. Excessive drug laws lead to high volumes of work, straining the system.

5. Stake holder: General Public, tax payers are funding the excessive imprisonment of casual drug offenders. Prisons are overflown with drug related offenses. Young adults struggling with substance dependency are being arrested for possessions which are leading to more felons. Individuals potentials are being stifled- when they enter recovery, it will be challenging to find work.

6. Other countries like Portugal have had success with decriminalized drugs.

6.1. Harm Reduction driven policies.

7. Pro War on Drugs Argument: The War on Drugs is cost effective and promotes public welfare and safety. The War on Drugs reduces the impact drugs have on the US.

8. Drug use is down but incarcerations are up.

9. Stake holder: Policy makers. How does a policy maker measure success? Less people are using but more are imprisoned. Should policies be treatment and recovery driven?

10. Stake holder: General Public. Is the crime, given its context, deserving of imprisonment and permanency of legal records?