The War on Drugs is Working!
Posted by BrianIf the metric of success is attaining the highest rate of incarceration in the world, then the War on Drugs is a resounding success. That’s right we imprison a greater percentage of our population than both China and Russia.
A U.S. Justice Department report released on November 30 showed that a record 7 million people — or one in every 32 American adults — were behind bars, on probation or on parole at the end of last year. Of the total, 2.2 million were in prison or jail.
…
“The United States has 5 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated population. We rank first in the world in locking up our fellow citizens,” said Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance, which supports alternatives in the war on drugs.
In a country that prides itself as a world leader in freedom and liberty, am I the only person who finds it a bit ironic that we lock up so many people for doing something that is completely voluntary and detrimental only to one’s self?
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December 12th, 2006 at 3:30 am
Our pride in freedom and liberty is mostly a joke. It’s funny, I would have quantified that statement by saying, “Look, we’re not China or Russia, but our pride in freedom in liberty is mostly a joke.”
But I guess the benefit of not having a pothead living down the street makes the cost worth it.