WAR ON DRUGS WASTING $600 PER SECOND

There is a war going on within the United States, a war that lacks
known enemies, has more cons than pros and is a little younger than
President Barack Obama. The War on Drugs -- much like the occupation
in Iraq -- is a failed mission.

Something politicians cannot seem to understand is that the War on
Drugs is a tremendous waste, one that needs to end. America spends
about $600 per second on this futile battle. According to Time
Magazine, the government has fueled this war for more than 40 years,
spending more than $2.5 trillion.

So far this year, the federal government has spent nearly $14 billion
on a war that rips poverty-stricken minority families of their
fathers and stuffs men in penitentiaries alongside murderers and
rapists for crimes like marijuana possession.

The fact is, minorities are not the only ones who get put in jail for
dealing or possessing weed, but they comprise the majority. Nobody
disputes that in the minority "convict league," the majority are men of color.

Other nations and countries with problems pertaining to drugs have
already started attacking the problem. For example, Argentina
recently decriminalized the private consumption of illicit drugs,
including everything from cocaine to marijuana. Mexico eliminated
jail time for persons caught with small quantities of illegal drugs.

Progressive countries attempting to reduce the number of convicts
overcrowding their prisons, in most cases provide treatment and
rehabilitation as alternatives.

The Golden State takes first place in a competition with the federal
government over who can spend more on fighting drugs. California's
prison recidivism rate is extremely high, with many people getting
tossed back in the pokey for parole violations.

Most of the violations are for absconding -- using drugs while on
parole. It's a vicious cycle that imprisonment is not going to solve.
Revolving-door justice and redundant law enforcement is breaking the
piggy bank. Many law agencies go after minor drug offenders because
it's easy pickings, important for fluffing up bloated budgets.

So far this year California has spent about $21.6 billion on fighting
drugs and has no money. If the state didn't see the need to lock up
every Tom, Dick and Harry found with more than an ounce of weed,
maybe more money could be allocated to our starving colleges.

Legislators tend to forget that we have to pay for feeding, housing
and providing medical care for the people locked up in the prison
industrial complex. To them, it's safer to look tough on drugs than
to do the real hard work; making compassionate laws that suit the
needs of our society.

According to FBI statistics, there have been about 1.3 million people
arrested for drug offenses this year, with more than 600,000 being
arrested for simple possession of cannabis. Drugsense.org states that
every 38 seconds an American is arrested for minor cannabis possession.

Taxpayer dollars should be allocated to important things like
education, health care, creating jobs and improving our decaying
infrastructure. It is time to get realistic. We certainly need to
lower many felony crimes to misdemeanors and pour more resources into
impacted communities.

Giving low-level drug abusers the help they need would allow us to
lose the cost of paying for bright orange jumpsuits and three hots and a cot.