ople get out of jail, they will have
             criminal records, which will make it nearly impossible to get a decent job, and a
             grudge against the government and society in general.
             In addition, we spend $37 billion per year funding the police efforts and
             interdiction, and recent evidence suggests the CIA has been involved in
             drug-trafficking to fund its own private wars ().Currently there is over $150 billion
             worth of drug traffic that remains untaxed ( ).If you figure a tax rate of 15%, that is
             a total of $22.5 billion of taxes that America doesn't see. The bottom line? The US
             Treasury estimates America wastes a minimum of $104.5 billion per year fighting a
             war that can not be won ( ), while crime rates continue to rise (because of the huge
             profits made possible by the risks involved in the drug trade as drugs remain
             illegal), and the quality of education, medical care and environmental protection
             falls due to lack of money in the budget.
             There are also moral dilemmas in declaring war on drugs and their users.
             Firstly, drug use or abuse is a medical and social problem not a criminal problem,
             yet we think we're solving the problem by throwing people in jail. The logic seems
             to be, maybe if we just take their life away, confiscate all of their personal
             property, ruin their reputation and self-respect, put them in jail with the worst
             elements of society - murderers, thieves and rapists, where they will most likely be
             beaten and/or raped repeatedly they will see the error of their ways. Not a very
             Also bear in mind, nicotine, caffeine and alcohol are all drugs. Nicotine is
             one of the most addictive drugs known to man, behind substances like heroin.
             Cigarettes kill over 300,000 people every year. Alcohol kills over 120,000 people
             every year ( ).Alcohol has been linked to men beating their wives and children. In
             contrast, marijuana has a recorded history that dates back over 4000 years, and has
             ...