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"A Brief History of the Drug War." Drug Policy Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2017.

The United States War on Drugs. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2017.

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* The number of people behind bars for nonviolent drug law offenses increased from 50,000 in 1980 to over 400,000 by 1997.
* Bill Clinton originally was going to crack down on imprisonment and increase treatment but in his first few months in the White House he went back to the previous ways of imprisonment

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* In the 1960s, drugs became symbols of youthful rebellion, social upheaval, and political dissent.
* The government halted scientific research to evaluate their medical safety and eeficacy.

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Carson, Kevin. "15 Benefits of the War on Drugs." Www.counterpunch.org. N.p., 22 July 2015. Web. 22 May 2017.

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•There are stricter drug policies all around the world, including airports and schools, which would prevent most drug transactions from happening

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•There is a lessened distribution of drugs which would cause the price of drugs to go up and people would not purchase drugs

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•Programs such as DARE, Drug Abuse Resistance Education, interact with Zero Tolerance policies and using dogs for drug sniffing

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•It turned kids into informants who watch their parents for the authorities

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•It changed drug stores and banks into arms of that state that inform their customers

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•It has set precedents that could be used on other missions like the War on Terror

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* When Ronald Reagan took presidency his wife paved the way for zero tolerance policies with drugs and her campaign "just say no"
* In 1985, the proportion of Americans surveyed who saw drug abuse as the nation's number one problem was just 2-6 percent. This percentage grew through the remainder of the 1980s until, in September 1989, it reached about 64 percent
* People such as Arnold Trebach and Kevin Zeese made foundations such as the Drug policy foundation and The drug policy Alliance in the late 1980s and early

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* June 1971, President Nixon had officially declared a “war on drugs.” He then increased the size and presence of  drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants.
* In 1972 the commission unanimously made the suggest to decriminalize the distribution and take in of marijuana for personal use, Nixon disagreed
* between 1973 and 1977 eleven states decriminalized marijuana possession and when Jimmy Carter was inaugurated it was under a platform of decriminalizing marijuana, but this changed as parents became concerned with their children coming in contact with this drug.

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http://visionlaunch.com/pros-and-cons-of-war-on-drugs/

http://www.businessinsider.com/32-reasons-why-we-need-to-end-the-war-on-drugs-2012-7?op=1/#at-wasted-money-could-be-spent-on-programs-that-actually-matter-3

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-A stigma against anything concerning drug use developed making it harder for drug users to accept their problems and come out asking for help in fear of being jailed instead of receiving legitimate reform and assistance

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-Since the demand for drugs never lowered but the supply rates did, prices skyrocketed and increased

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-Lack of reform or any programs for helping addicts and drug criminals relying solely on getting them off the streets rather than helping them to get better

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-Racial tensions and racism increased amongst law enforcement and ethnic minorities

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-An increase in political corruption

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-The rate of incarcerated citizens per capita skyrocketed as the solution of Law Enforcement was to jail anyone involved in drug crimes

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-The increased spending on drug law enforcement increased taxes therefore increasing poverty in America

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Source: https://www.google.com/amp/www.inforum.com/opinion/letters/4169330-letter-war-drugs-has-been-obvious-failure%3Famphttps://www.google.com/amp/www.inforum.com/opinion/letters/4169330-letter-war-drugs-has-been-obvious-failure%3Famp

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Source:https://youtu.be/wJUXLqNHCaI

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Source:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/19/war-on-drugs-statistics-systematic-policy-failure-united-nations

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The United Nations general assembly has gathered in New York for a special session to discuss how the world's nations can together combat the global drug problem. Deciding on an appropriate strategy will probably be a matter of fierce debate - but even the terminology to be used remains contentious.

In 2009, the Obama administration said that the term "war on drugs" was counterproductive because it made some people feel as though they were being targeted.

Since Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs in 1971, it seems as though people rather than products have been most directly affected. But lack of data makes it hard to understand the impact: like most illicit activities, drug production, trade and use is hard to measure accurately. And without knowing baseline values, it's hard to understand the effect of any given policy - let alone comparing the impact of various policies.

However, where long-term data is available, it does point to systematic failures in drug policies. A study published in the British Medical Journal in 2013 found that despite efforts to limit the supply of these drugs, since 1990 prices have fallen while the purity of the drugs has increased. The trends were similar in the US and in Europe. The authors' conclusion was clear: "These findings suggest that expanding efforts at controlling the global illegal drug market through law enforcement are failing."

More specifically, the researchers found that the average inflation-adjusted (and purity-adjusted) prices of heroin, cocaine and cannabis fell by 81%, 80% and 86%, between 1990 and 2007 while average purity increased by 60%, 11% and 161%, respectively.

Internationally, the illegal drugs trade is larger than any other illegal activity. According to a 2011 report by Global Financial Integrity, illicit activities are worth $650bn worldwide, of which $320bn is due to drugs alone. Other high-value illegal trades were counterfeiting (worth $250bn) and human trafficking ($31.6bn). However, those statistics are severely limited.

It's easy to assume that statistics published in the same year are comparable - tempting, but wrong. That estimate of the value of the international drugs trade comes from 2005 while the figure for counterfeiting comes from 2009. The truth is, no one knows the precise value of the international drugs trade, although it is clear that the returns are sufficiently lucrative that some individuals will want and need to accept the risks.

Those risks include punishment by the justice system. However, there too the efficacy of policy is highly questionable. The Brookings Institution published an overview of global counter-narcotics policy in 2008 which compared three different approaches: "the punishment model" employed in the US, which uses incarceration to deter use; "the depenalization model" used in Italy and Spain, which keeps narcotics illegal but doesn't criminalize personal use within established maximum amounts; and, finally, "the decriminalization model" used in the Netherlands, which allows cannabis sales for personal use.

The Brookings analysis was most critical of the US punishment model where incarceration rates have exploded (from fewer than 50,000 people in 1980 to 210,200 in 2015) at huge cost to taxpayers despite the fact that few prisoners have access to any form of drug treatment.

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The 'war on drugs' in numbers: a systematic failure of policy

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The United Nations general assembly has gathered in New York for a special session to discuss how the world's nations can together combat the global drug problem. Deciding on an appropriate strategy will probably be a matter of fierce debate - but even the terminology to be used remains contentious.

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Source:http://www.activistpost.com/2011/12/10-ways-war-on-drugs-is-wild-success.html

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For all the evidence of how the War on Drugs has failed society, there's equally as much evidence of how it is a great success to those who continue to support it. The drug war has many advantages if you wish to control society and expand your empire. It also enriches several industries that would otherwise have a very difficult time staying solvent without it.

Here are ten ways the War on Drugs is a wild success:

Military-Industrial Profits: As the Vietnam War came to an end, it struck fear into the military-industrial machine that enjoyed great profits from that conflict. In a world where contrived enemies were needed to keep a constant funding of weapons, Richard Nixon declared drugs "Public Enemy Number 1". Thus, domestic armies were erected to combat the illegal drug trade, delivering consistent cash flow to weapons manufacturers. These companies make money, not just from the needs of the DEA, border patrol, and local police forces, but also from drug traffickers. Win-win and profits all around.

Huge Boon to Private Prisons: The private prison industry thrives off long sentences for drug offenders. At least 25% of their profits come from these nonviolent criminals. A great number more are held on "drug related" charges that may have resulted in drug violence. However, the current trend shows that three-quarters of new inmates admitted to state prisons are nonviolent offenders. Private prisons clearly depend on arresting pot smokers and addicts of more severe drugs.

Prevents Higher Unemployment Rates: Imagine if the millions of American currently jailed on drug charges were released into a job market already suffering from real unemployment numbers over 20%. Additionally, if it wasn't for drugs being illegal, countless people like DEA agents, court staff, prison guards, parole officers, drug dealers, etc would otherwise be unemployed. Thank goodness for the war on drugs, or the U.S. economy would look even worse.

Suppresses Minority Populations: It's often said that the drug war is a war on minorities: "According to the ACLU, African Americans make up an estimated 15% of drug users, but they account for 37% of those arrested on drug charges, 59% of those convicted and 74% of all drug offenders sentenced to prison. Or consider this: The U.S. has 260,000 people in state prisons on nonviolent drug charges; 183,200 (more than 70%) of them are black or Latino." So it is a huge success for those who wish to suppress minority populations.

Drives Up Prices: Making any substance illegal will result in much higher prices than a free market would dictate. Especially when there's a high demand for that substance. In the case of the cannabis plant, which grows like a weed and requires very little value added, the dried flower would virtually be free if it wasn't for the harsh restrictions and dangers involved in producing and distributing it. These high prices are terrific for drug dealers and even medical marijuana growers opposed legalization in California because it threatened their profits.

Drug Violence Justifies Tough Gun Laws: The violence generated from the prohibition of drugs is reminiscent of the extreme mob violence during the prohibition of alcohol. Prohibition of anything will always create black markets which require firearms to protect banned products. Recently, the U.S. government itself was caught red-handed supplying guns to Mexican drug cartels in their "Fast and Furious" scandal. It's now proven that the ATF plotted to use Fast and Furious to push for new gun control regulations. Indeed, most street violence is due to turf wars over the drug trade, and tougher gun laws are proposed as the war escalates. It's wonderful for those who blame violence on guns and wish to restrict them from law-abiding citizens.

Protects Big Pharma Monopolies: No one is happier about the war on drugs than Big Pharma. Their control over the FDA and monopoly of "controlled substances" would be threatened if all drugs were legalized. They want you addicted to their FDA-approved versions of heroin and cocaine, not something you can get on the black market. In turn, they also benefit greatly when the prices of street drugs increase, as they can then inflate the cost of their products. They love the drug war so much they've lobbied to extend it to vitamins and supplements.

Allows Proxy Armies: If you want to create an empire by force, but it's politically disadvantageous to base your army in certain countries, then the global war on drugs is your ticket to supplying troops or creating proxy armies. One of the most recent examples is Costa Rica, a peaceful country in Central America without an army, where the U.S. bribed the government to allow the Navy and Marines to be stationed off the Caribbean coast to fight the war on drugs. In other nations where even this won't be allowed, the CIA funds and arms one of the drug cartels who then act as their hired enforcers, or they're used as an excuse for governments to accept U.S. help to combat the enemy they created. In either case, the U.S. sells more arms and trains soldiers to be used upon command.

Keeps Big Banks Flush with Cash: It has long been known that big banks happily launder money for the big drug cartels. According to The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), "Up to 1.5 trillion dollars in drug money are laundered through legal enterprises, accounting for 5% of global GDP." Take just this year and one bank, Wachovia; who had to pay a slap-on-the-wrist fine for laundering more than $420 billion for Mexican drug cartels. Imagine where the big banks would be without this money, given that they also needed a bailout of over $23 trillion for lack of sufficient deposits to pay for their gambling habits.

Funds CIA Black Ops: Do you ever wonder where the U.S. government gets all that money for their secret "Black Ops" like underground bases, secret wars, corporate takeovers and seed money, etc? It's been proven over and over that the CIA (and Pentagon) controls a large majority of the illicit drug trade either directly or indirectly through proxies mentioned above. They've been caught in the act of shipping in massive amounts of cocaine, while the CIA now openly admits to protecting and facilitating the opium trade in Afghanistan. If it wasn't for this tremendous profit, the CIA would not be able to build their secret shadow government.

So, as you can see, there are great benefits to the War on Drugs depending what side of the coin you're on. If you're a poor pot smoker, well, you're out of luck. But if you're the biggest heroin and cocaine dealer in the world and desire a monopoly . . . well, you've got the world right where you want it.

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10 Ways the War on Drugs is a Wild Success

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For all the evidence of how the War on Drugs has failed society, there's equally as much evidence of how it is a great success to those who continue to support it. The drug war has many advantages if you wish to control society and expand your empire.

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History of Prohibition and start of the War on Drugs: Jake 

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History of Prohibition and start of the War on Drugs: Jake 

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* The first anti-opium laws were directed at Chinese immigrants, the first anti cocaine laws were directed at black men in the south in the early 1900s, and the first anti-marijuana laws were directed at Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans in the southwest in the 1910s and 20s.
"A Brief History of the Drug War." Drug Policy Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2017.

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Amore

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PACIFICO