America's war on drugs remains useless

Regarding the editorial in the August 24th edition of the Exponent, it was nice to see the editorial staff of the Exponent question the war on drugs. However, I hope that the following will put a different perspective on just how perverse the war on drugs really is.

This year the National Research Council of the National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Engineering advised that the nation's ability to evaluate whether the drug policies work is no better now than it was 20 years ago. Federal expenditures for the war on drugs jumped more than tenfold between 1981 and 1999. No other government activity had similar or even comparable increases. Yet, there is no basis to support this policy. It is unconscionable for this country to continue to carry out a public policy of this magnitude and cost without any way of knowing whether, and to what extent, it is having the desired result.

The Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman, sums up the war on drugs: "Who would believe that a democratic government would pursue for eight decades a failed policy that produced tens of millions of victims and trillions of dollars of illicit profits for drug dealers; cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars; increased crime and destroyed inner cities; fostered corruption and violation of human rights – and all with no success in achieving the stated and unattainable objective of a drug-free America."

A recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll found that 34 percent of the people polled favor legalizing marijuana use. If a significant number of citizens desire a change of law, yet the government refuses to even consider their desires, we have the extremely anti-democratic situation that many writers and scholars have warned us about: the Tyranny of the Majority.

Josh L. Clark

Purdue Staff

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America's war on drugs remains useless

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