US NEEDS NEW WEAPONS IN THE WAR ON DRUGS

Americans have bought themselves a trillion dollars worth of nothing
over the past few decades.

An Associated Press story this week pointed out that the disastrously
expensive and ineffective war on drugs has been one of the biggest
losing battles in American history.

The story estimates that the country has thrown away an impossible
amount of money in trying to keep drugs from being imported into the
country, and to prevent Americans from using them, only to bolster a
pricey criminal justice system that promises to cost U.S. taxpayers
even more.

The story focused on Portugal, where the country was dealing with an
overabundance of drug addicts. Portuguese lawmakers essentially
decriminalized drug use and possession 10 years ago. Despite dire
warnings by critics, there was no surge in drug use. In fact, there
was a decrease in the number of teenagers and many others using drugs.

One of the most promising results of the experiment was that the
number of drug-related HIV cases dropped 75 percent. But the most
important change was that the bulk of drug-related cases moved from
courts and jails, which are exorbitantly expensive to process, to
treatment and rehab centers, where thousands more got off drugs for
good, rather than moving their habits to prison cells at taxpayer expense.

Congress and state lawmakers should consider similar changes.
Incarcerating drug users is a colossal waste of taxpayer money,
clearly doing little to persuade a user to stop. Since the drug trade
is like any other, governed by supply and demand, the threat of legal
action has done little to curb Americans' appetite for illegal,
recreational drugs.

It doesn't mean that the United States should just give up in an
effort to persuade Americans to turn away from drugs to lead more
healthy and productive lives, but what this country has done locally
and nationally has been painfully expensive and blatantly ineffective.
It's past time to try something new.

Besides the misery we create for our own citizens, criminalizing drug
supply and production has nearly destroyed some communities south of
the border, where murderous gangs kill thousands each year as part of
the illegal drug trade.

By treating drug use and trafficking like we do with alcohol,
Americans could spend far more resources on drug education and
treatment programs, which have provenly gone much further in reducing
drug use and addiction.

It means a huge change in the perception of drug use and a great deal
of courage in letting go of notions and stigmas that have done nothing
to improve the safety of drug users or the rest of the community.

The time for those changes are now as new lawmakers meet to address
the endless challenge of drug abuse.