I Have been trying for the longest time to gather the information to write this essay.  The topic is simple enough, but the information available is stagering in its breadth, and dependent upon the  "political bent" of the source from which it is drawn.  The thesis is simple:  " The Nations Drug policies are a mis-guided  attemp to appease the middle-class and to create voter base, while ignoreing the futility of the "Drug War"  in the grander scheme of things."

    Ross Perot said something that stuck with me that went something like this  " In the past 20 years America has spend in excess of FOUR TRILLION DOLLARS  fighting the war on drugs. What other program does this country have with such great expenditures and so little return? "   With all of the money spent to try to stop drugs from getting into the hands of our citizens, one can still buy them in a Federal Penitentiary, surrounded by wall, barbed wire and staffed by federal officers.  If we can't keep drugs out of a gaurded federal institution, what hope is there of keeping them off the streets??

    This is a statistic batted around by the Gov't as a reason to continue the " War on Drugs" .  Lets look at that more closely.  The cost of and profits in the drug buisiness is created soley by the illeagality of the drugs. Without the profits there would be no motive for anyone to "Deal drugs".  Without the expense to the user, there would be less need to steal  ( armed robbery, breaking and entering, car thefts & carjackings)  to get the money to purchase the drugs that the person feels, for whatever reason, that he or she needs.

    Yes, it is true that drugs are killing our children. But not in the way you might think.  More young people in this country die everyday from  " drug related  violence" than from the use of the drugs themselves.  In fact , it is the policies of the Gov't War on drugs that creates this scenario. More people die for all kinds of other reasons than from drug use. One of the most noteable is, of course, Drunk Driving accidents.   And why is it that Alchol is legal ?   WHY ?   Because our Gov't realised long ago that Prohabition of Alchol created more problems than it solved!!

#1.  Would save the lives of countless people .
#2.  Would free up MASSIVE amounts of money for the treatment of addicted people.
#3.  Would decrease violent crime in the country by removing the "Profit Motive".
#4.  Would help eliminate the counties reputation of haveing more people in prison  ( per-capita) than any other civilized nation on earth. Bonus:  More money saved
#5.  Would free up police to do the buisness of protecting the citizens, rather than controlling the criminals.
#6. Free up the courts.
#7.  Would fource polititions to focus on problems that DO directly influence the lives of the average middle-class American, by removing the all too easy COMMON ENEMY.

    I could continue with that list for a very long time, but I think my point is made. Let me state that I do not use drugs (even over the counter stuff)  or consume alchohol in anything that would be considered excess amounts  ( a case of beer lasts 2 yrs in my house), nor do I encourage the use of either of those things.  But as a thinking individual it is impossible for me to see any reasons to continue on this path as a nation. There must be saner solutions to this problem, and we as a Nation must work together to find them!!!