Reforming America's Drug PoliciesAn extremely controversial issue hovers among citizens and government officials in the United States today. Should drugs be legalized? Does the “War on Drugs” work? After doing extensive research on this topic and understanding every aspect of the issue, I can easily say that the war on drugs is not working and that the US government has taken the wrong approach in dealing with drugs in the United States. While it may seem like a problematic solution to some Americans, legalizing (and regulating, of course) drugs is the only way to solve the problems caused by the fledgling War on Drugs. Legalization will not only stop the wasteful and ineffective war on drugs, but it will help the United States economy and solve the overcrowding problems in our prisons and legal systems caused by this “war” waged on the nation's “public.” cheers" (Harris 1). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essayDespite strong opposing arguments, many disagree with this opinion. Many people argue that the War on Drugs is working and that no benefit can be derived from the legalization of drugs. Drugs are despised and some are known to be very dangerous, even lethal if abused. Furthermore, some argue that the rates of drug use they would only increase if legalized, causing even more problems among our communities. Most people assume that drugs would be more readily available to our youth and that addicts would be able to get the drugs they want more easily We assume things like this when we hear that legalization is the solution to our country's drug problems, but these assumptions are factually wrong. As government and health officials in our country became aware of some of the problems that some drug users were experiencing, such as drug abuse, violence, and death, our government officials began to enact more and more laws that they restrict drugs in the United States. This led to the prohibition of drugs, making it illegal to possess, manufacture, or distribute them (Schaffer 3). Then Nixon declared war on all drugs, and began the “War on Drugs,” which got worse and worse as the years went by. Under Nixon's orders, drug laws became stricter and efforts were made to try to influence the American population not to use drugs. Lies and propaganda were used in commercials, while outrageous claims were made to scare people away from drugs (Harris 2). Problems immediately arose. "The U.S. prison population remained relatively stable from about 1926, when the first data were compiled, until 1970. After this point, the effects of Nixon's war on drugs, and later Reagan and Bush's war on drugs drugs, have produced a dramatic increase in the number of prisoners." (Schaffer 39). Today this problem has progressed and become even worse. “There are currently approximately 1.5 million people in state and federal prisons across the United States. Currently, at least 24 states have received orders from federal courts to relieve prison overcrowding.” (Schaffer 39) Despite this high number of prisoners resulting from the War on Drugs, approximately 10 million Americans are occasional drug users (Schaffer 4). These statisticsthey clearly show that most Americans still use drugs, despite strict laws that make them illegal. “Despite the $15 billion spent annually on drug prevention, most Americans agree that it doesn't work (Schaffer 5). American citizens aren't the only ones who believe war isn't working "Official reports say the drug war has reduced America's drug supply by 10 to 15 percent. However, former San Jose Police Chief Joseph McNamara told New York Magazine, “Off the record, [the Drug Enforcement Agency says] it's more like 1%” (Schaffer 32). “In addition to the war on drugs being ineffective, drug legalization will not only eliminate that problem, but will also eliminate other problems caused by drug prohibition. A big problem in our government today is the money wasted trying to enforce these drug laws. Prisons are also becoming overcrowded, clogging up our justice systems and wasting even more money. Some think it's good that many inmates go to prison, because it eliminates violence that is supposedly related to illegal drugs. Violence is not related to use of illegal drugs and is caused only by prohibition. “Of all psychoactive substances, alcohol is the only one whose consumption has been shown to commonly increase aggression.” (Harris 7). that the vast majority of violent drug crimes are caused by drug prohibition, rather than the drugs themselves. This was the same situation that occurred during alcohol prohibition. Alcohol prohibition gave rise to a violent criminal organization. In the year that Prohibition was repealed, violent crime decreased by 65% ​​(Schaffer 12)." It is obvious that the problem is drug prohibition, and not the drugs themselves. The violence caused by Prohibition is evident in drug marketing, such as disputes between rival distributors, arguments and robberies involving buyers and sellers, property crimes committed to raise drug money, and, more speculatively, social and economic interactions between illegal markets and surrounding communities (Schaffer 26 Furthermore, the money spent every year on this war could be saved and used more productively if American governments did not have to spend so much money on incarcerating drug offenders and making efforts to reduce drug use. , they could use the money more wisely to put serious criminals in prison. The money could also be used to help more drug addicts solve their problems. One way to save much of the money spent on the war could come directly from fewer citizens ending up in prison for drug crimes. State prisons are so crowded that at least 24 states have received orders from federal courts to relieve prison overcrowding. On average, it costs thirty thousand dollars a year to keep a prisoner in a prison (Schaffer 24). “The cost of putting a single drug dealer in prison is about $450,000. That same $450,000 can provide treatment or education for about 200 people. Additionally, putting one person in prison produces about fifteen dollars in related welfare costs, for every dollar spent on incarceration. Every dollar spent on treatment and education saves approximately five dollars in related welfare costs (Schaffer 19). Legalization clearly demonstrates the benefits that outweigh any negative effects in this situation, and this can lead to making our communities much better places. Not only the people of our country would benefit.