Economics of Ending the War on Drugs
Posted January 14th, 2008 by CurtisinColorado
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I recognize that I’ve only been a member of Daily Paul for a very brief time, but I have been a Dr. Paul supporter for a long time – I just have not had anything to constructively contribute, so I’ve been web-silent. Now, a point has come to mind for which I haven’t observed much blog/grassroots activity.
I don’t know that any single position of Dr. Paul is head and shoulders above any of his positions. Virtually all of his positions are revolutionary, compared to the muck we are in now. Following the constitution is just too *common-sense* for the benefit of citizens. Empire building is way too expensive for the benefit of the citizens. Fiat money is effectively a *pyramid scam*; it works really well for those that start it (and you know who they are), but…
One of the most jaw dropping positions that Ron Paul has verbalized on national TV (MSM) occurred with his January 10, 2008 interview with Wolfe Blitzer where her stated that he would pardon all persons incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. While I have always wondered about the cost/benefit of the war on drugs, Dr. Paul’s statement that he would free those incarcerated for non-violent drug activities inspired me to run some numbers in an attempt to quantify the cost of this war.
While I think there are much more important issues to vigorously pursue from an economic perspective (stop occupying the world, separate from the Federal Reserve Bank, deploy our troops to the United States' borders), it would be wrong for us supporters to simply think that ending the war on drugs is purely about the individual liberties of the drug *criminals*.
Obviously, there are myriad inputs to the calculation of the cost of the war on drugs (cost of incarceration, cost of enforcement, cost of prosecution, cost of mandates, etc.), I have conservatively calculated the cost of this war to be $4.1 trillion over a 10 year period. Since the *war* has been in effect for over 30 years, the cost of the war on drugs exceeds $12 trillion. The cash cost of this war exceeds our *on-the-books* national debt! The non-cash cost of the war on drugs is incalculable since it has been used as the excuse to erode our individual liberties – not just for the *druggies*, but ALL citizens.
I think I recognize that the general public has been too *indoctrinated* (drugs are bad, M’kay) to accept, on its face, that this war is stupid, but perhaps the economics of the war on drugs may open a few eyes.
Ron Paul, the only hope for America and the world.
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The drug war was the biggest assault on civil liberties
until the new war on terror came out. Those in the industry should get productive work.
Government is supposed to protect our freedom, our property, our privacy, not invade it. Ron Paul 2007
You are so right.
Having been a prison guard for a short time, it was quite obvious that many of the people in prison were non-violent drug offenders. They were not professional criminals (except for doing drugs) on average. At least, not when they first got to prison, but prison is just another kind of a learning institution. Think how many people have lost the right to a decent job, just because they would rather smoke a little pot, instead of drinking an alchoholic beverage. My main concern was watching prisoners who were in jail for violent crimes getting out early, to make room for non-violent criminals who had to do more time because they were in for a drug offense. A prison is an insane asylum. For everyone, the guards as well as the prisoners. I quit, the first time I caught myselt thinking it is "us" versus "them'' (guards vs. prisoners).