How Do Law Enforcement Feel About the War on Drugs?
Question by Itstartshere27: How do Law Enforcement feel about the War on Drugs?
I am a political science major in school who is planning on attending law school to become a criminal defense lawyer. I was just wondering how the members of law enforcement felt about the War on Drugs. From all my research and interaction with fellow professors and professionals most feel that it is a complete failure and waste of money. Mostly because it is just impossible to win. Drugs are a problem in society but if drugs were legal drug dealers wouldn’t exist. Period. Look at alcohol prohibition as a model of that. Criminals became rich over night from alcohol prohibition and law enforcement could do little about it. Even my Criminal Justice professor who had 35 years experience as a NYC police officer said after his experiences he believes that drugs should be legal, I did my midterm paper on the subject and I got a 92 on it. We both agreed education would be a more sufficient way to handle the issue rather than incarceration. It’s hard to justify putting people in jail for their addictions in jail when it’s their body they are damaging (as long as they don’t get behind the wheel). People are under the impression that chaos would break out if drugs were decriminalized or legal, but that is not the case. Did chaos break out when alcohol was made legal? Nope, and I know just as many if not more alcoholics than drug addicts. You can not enforce morals on people or believe your morals are stronger than others just because you may not agree with ones lifestyle. I am against people using drugs and alcohol but I believe it is their choice to do so. So what is Law Enforcements take on the subject? Do they believe that the war can be won and that is of good use of tax payer money, to track, arrest and imprison addicts?
Also if you have an arrest record and reform yourself later in life it will be hard to find employment because that mistake follows you forever.
Best answer:
Answer by I Like To Fire People
LEO loves the war on drugs because it keeps lots of them employed
Answer by John
I was previously involved in law enforcement, and I can tell you the war on drugs is an abysmal failure.
40% of all inmates in US correctional facilites are there for non-violent drug possession or DWI.
Many times, these people are incarcerated for incredible lengths of time.
The damage done to them psychologically as well as financially and socially by far outweighs the majority of their crimes.
These people need help – locking them up like animals isn’t the answer.
The US needs to look at Portugal, which decriminalized drug possession in 2001, and the number of drug users went down.
The same thing happened with the Netherlands and it’s treatment-not prison approach.
The notion that drug legalization leads to increase ususage and chaos is a myth.
The truth is, the system in place, which locks people up for crimes based on what “might happen” and where the only person harmed is the user themselves, is what leads to the majority of drug related crimes, by keeping drug prices incredibly high, and the mental damage caused by incarceration.
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