Do You Agree With the War on Drugs?
Question by Jen Waver: Do you agree with the war on drugs?
Russ Jones, who has spent more than 30 years fighting the War On Drugs, has something to say about his life’s work: it is a complete failure that should be ended.
“The U.S. over the last four decades has spent $ 1 trillion of our tax dollars, made 38 million nonviolent drug arrests and quadrupled our prison population,” Jones said, reports columnist Tom Barnidge of the Contra Costa Times. “And the rate of addiction today, 1.3 percent, is the same as it was in 1970, when we started.”
Jones said he began to question the War On Drugs while working undercover on setting up major drug busts. He still has copies of the front-page newspaper headlines.
“The district attorney would announce that a major blow had been dealt to the drug network,” Jones said. “Then what would follow is some new drug dealer would take the old dealer’s place.”
The same pattern was repeated so often that narcotics officers winced whenever the district attorney claimed a “victory” over drugs, according to Jones.
“When I arrested a rapist or robber, the community was safer,” Jones said. “When I arrested a drug dealer, all I did was create a job opening.”
Jones reminds everyone that you can be against drugs and still favor drug law reform. He wants addicts to receive professional treatment and education, recognizing abuse as a health concern, not a matter for law enforcement.
“Doctors should be allowed to prescribe drugs to addicts, who can take their prescription to a clinic where they can get a pharmaceutical-grade dose administered by a health clinician,” Jones said. “When habitual users start going to clinics, you put violent drug dealers out of business, and addicts don’t commit crimes to support their habit.”
He cited as an example clinics in Switzerland, where heroin is dispensed to addicts. Deaths by overdose have been reduced by 50 percent, drug crimes by 60 percent.
To those who doubt the effectiveness of public education, Jones pointed to cigarette smoking. “With education, we reduced the use of tobacco in this country from 42 percent to 17 percent, and we did that without firing one shot or kicking in any doors,” he said.
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Do you still agree? why or why not?
Best answer:
Answer by Sarsaparilla
I agree with a war on terrorist babies
Add your own answer in the comments!
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