Prohibition vs War on Drugs Essay

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The United States of America©ˆs war on drugs today is very similar to America©ˆs
Prohibition of Alcohol in the 1920©ˆs. These two major issues of their time may not seem like they can be logically compared, but statistics for usage and a correlating rise in crime for both eras show a strong relationship. There is also a tendency for an outright defiance of the laws and law makers of the United States government in both cases. Most people today think that the prohibition of the 1920©ˆs and the current war on drugs have many contrasting points. The opposite is true. However, the points that do contrast are more opinion-based than fact oriented. The following paragraphs will attempt to clearly and effectively show a comparison and …show more content…
Addiction to drugs takes its toll on both the American economy and the personal lives of the users and their families. For the user, the addiction can cause nausea, nosebleeds, insomnia, paranoia, long and short term destruction of brain cells, liver dysfunction, eating disorders, extreme rage, apathy and death. The emotional and psychological toll on the families of these drug dependent people is devastating. The cost to the U.S. economy that these addictions impose is almost immeasurable...lost wages, drops in productivity, increased costs for treatment facilities, incarceration centers and law enforcement. The costs associated with non-addictive drugs are even harder to measure.
Every United State President since Eisenhower has created new measures to decrease drug use in the U.S. and for the most part, all measures tried have failed. Increases in drug usage and drug users creates a correlating increase in drug dealers and traffickers to the community...all trying to get a piece of the 70 billion dollars a year people spend on illegal substances. United States Treasury Department statistics cite that ninety percent of all U.S. hundred dollar bills are contaminated with cocaine residue. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the United States government to prevent, reduce or even control, the sale and consumption of illegal drugs with the budget it has
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