After spending trillion of dollars on the so called “war on drugs” during the last forty-years, we have accomplished nothing. In fact there are more drug addicts and more illegal drugs flowing into this country now than ever before. Law enforcement is unable to stop the flow, and with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan the amount of heroin coming into this country is astounding. Because of our monetary payments and cooperation in turning the other way to the tribal leaders for help in stopping terrorism, these tribal leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan have never had it better in smuggling heroin into Europe and eventually the United States.
Recently the United Nations Global Commission on Drug Policy took the courageous step and stated that the world war on drugs, especially the one waged in the United States was a “total failure.” The total consumption of opiates has increased 34.5% in the last forty-years, cocaine, 27%.
The report states that the problem with the war on drugs is that it punishes the users with draconian prison sentences when this money should be spent on treatments to cure the addicts, and thus dry up the demand. Instead of locking up and prosecuting users, or low level sellers trying to support their habit, law enforcement must concentrate on the violent criminal organizations, starting with our tribal leader friends in Iraq and Afghanistan and their friendly governmental officials. As former President Jimmy Carter wrote in his Op-Ed in the New York Times on June 17, 2011, at the end of his term in office 1980 there were approximately 500,000 people in prison in the United States, and that number increased in 2009 to 2.3 million. The vast majority of these incarcerated individuals were there because they were drug users addicted to illegal drugs.
Other countries in Europe, Australia and other places have gotten the message and have decriminalized many drug possession offenses with great results.
Over the last forty years the only people who have benefited from this war on drugs charade are people employed in law enforcement, criminal judicial system and our jails.
Law Office of Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr., Esq.
Elizabeth, N.J.
(908) 354-7006
Dated: June 21, 2011
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