The Failed War On Drugs

Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, is speaking out about the failed war on drugs and the growing drug problem in the US. Even though police made more than 850,000 marijuana arrests last year, a recent government report shows youth marijuana use increased by approximately nine percent.  

“Supporters of the failed war on drugs will no doubt argue this increase means policymakers should spend more taxpayer money next year arresting and incarcerating a greater number of Americans,” Piper said. “In other words, their solution to failure is to do more of the same. Fortunately, the ‘reform nothing’ club is getting mighty lonely these days -- 76 percent of Americans recognize the drug war has failed; millions are demanding change.” 

The War on Drugs

The war on drugs was initially declared nearly 40 years ago by then-President Richard Nixon. Since then, tens of millions of Americans have been arrested and hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent, according to Piper, but drugs are just as readily available all these years later.

These days, even many elected officials – from President Obama and Bill Clinton to Al Gore, Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin -- have admitted to using marijuana or other illegal drugs. “Drug use is so widespread the FBI changed its policy of not hiring people with a history of illegal drug use because the policy disqualified so many people that it could not fill its law enforcement positions,” according to Piper.  

Drug Treatment

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