The federal government spends about 44 billion dollars a year on the war on drugs. That seems like a lot right? Well wrong….the reality is, the war on drugs is totally a backburner issue.

Well, 80% of all people in prison are either there for drug charges, or they were under the influence when they commited a crime, or in some way shape or form their crime involved drugs. That doesn’t even count the cost of paroling these inmates or the cost of people on probation. 1/6th of my states budget goes to the correctional system here. Multiply that by 50 states, and thats a lot of money just for the impact of drugs on the correctional system.

Then you have the financial burden on the individual families impacted by drug addiction. I read the beginning of a womans blog that said she went into bankruptsy twice trying to help her daughter with addiction. There are millions of families across America just like hers.

Healthcare? An estimated 300,000 AIDs cases were supposed to be related directly to drug addicts using dirty needles. And the president wants to stop the needle exchange program and make public health care. Kind of hypocritical in my opinion. Then there are other health problems, overdosing, brain damage, kydney problems, the list can go on. The drug addiction epidemics cost on the healthcare system is huge.

Drugs have a huge impact on crime in the states. Most street gangs finance thier operations with drug money.

Not to mention the international impact of the American drug epidemic. The war in Mexico now would not be going on if America didn’t have so many addicts willing to spend a lot of money on drugs. The international drug cartels have unlimited power in most central American and Carribean countries. With 1/6 of the drug cartels budget going to pay people off in these countries, the top levels of government in some of these counties are corrupted to support the American addicts.

Thousands died in the events of 9/11. Millions die as a result of the drug trade. Millions of families are impacted by drug addiction. Government policy and prioities are funny to me….