The United States prison population has increased a jaw-dropping 800% since 1971, the year that the war on drugs was initiated by the Nixon
administration. Half of the 216,000 federal inmates in prison today are
incarcerated for drug offenses. The incarceration rate in the U.S. is the
highest in the world.
The country that once called itself the beacon of democracy
is now the planet’s prison capital. Unsurprisingly, the most vocal constituencies
for continuing the drug war just happen to be those groups that benefit
economically from the status quo, local and state law enforcement agencies and
the private prison industry.
In addition to the human costs, billions of tax dollars are flushed
down the toilet annually on this failed policy. If President Obama really wants
to leave a lasting legacy, he will begin dismantling the drug war
infrastructure and putting the power of his office behind legalization efforts
at the state and federal level.
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