Drug War Facts

I thought it would be nice to throw up some facts on the drug war. These are just some of the facts I base my arguments off of. All of these particular tidbits were found on www.drugwarfacts.org . These are only a few that I picked out feel free to check out the rest on the website. All of the sources for these facts can be found on the website as well. A lot of these facts can be pretty eye opening. Enjoy!

"In 2010, marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with 17.4 million current users. It was used by 76.8 percent of current illicit drug users and was the only drug used by 60.1 percent of them."

(marijuana - gateway to other drugs) "Analysis of the demographic and social characteristics of a large sample of applicants seeking approval to use marijuana medically in California supports an interpretation of long term non problematic use by many who had first tried it as adolescents, and then either continued to use it or later resumed its use as adults. In general, they have used it at modest levels and in consistent patterns which anecdotally-often assisted their educational achievement, employment performance, and establishment of a more stable life-style. These data suggest that rather than acting as a gateway to other drugs, (which many had also tried), cannabis has been exerting a beneficial influence on most."

(marijuana - failure of cannabis prohibition) "Increased funding for cannabis prohibition has increased cannabis seizures and arrests, but the assumption that this reduces cannabis potency, increases price or meaningfully reduces availability or use is inconsistent with surveillance data the US federal government has itself collected."

(marijuana - violence per the 1972 National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse) "Rather than inducing violent or aggressive behavior through its purported effects of lowering inhibitions, weakening impulse control and heightening aggressive tendencies, marihuana was usually found to inhibit the expression of aggressive impulses by pacifying the user, interfering with muscular coordination, reducing psychomotor activities and generally producing states of drowsiness lethargy, timidity and passivity."

(2001-2010 - drug-related homicides in Mexico) "There has been a dramatic increase in violence in recent years. Regardless what measure is used, the most immediately observable trend regarding recent violence in Mexico is simply the large and increasing number of intentional homicides associated with organized crime. As noted above, according to PGR [Mexican Attorney General’s Office] figures reported by the CNDH [Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission], there were a total of 6,680 drug-related killings from 2001-2005. With 1,776 officially designated organized crime killings in 2005 and 2,221 in 2006, the rate of violence increased by 36% and 25%, respectively, during these years."
"During the period from 2007 to 2010, however, the total number of organized crime related homicides identified by the Mexican government reached 34,550. In other words, the number of organized crime homicides reported during the first four years of the Calderón administration was four times greater than the total of 8,901 such killings identified during the entire Fox administration (2001-2006). With an estimated 76,131 intentional homicides in Mexico since 2007, killings related to organized crime accounted for about 45% of all murders in the country. While the upward trend in violence dates back to 2005, the major increase in violence came after a dramatic spike in 2008, as organized crime related homicides jumped to 6,837 killings, a 142% increase from 2007. After another increase of more than 40% to 9,614 killings in 2009, the number of killings linked to organized crime jumped by 59% in 2010, reaching a new record total of 15,273 deaths."
(2008 - smuggling) "Criminal organizations have demonstrated enduring and ever-evolving capabilities to creatively construct and use underground passageways to gain access through the border to transport narcotics, people, and other illicit contraband into the continental United States. Since May 1990, 101 crossborder tunnels have been discovered by law enforcement agencies. All but one have originated in Mexico and exited in either California or Arizona. There were 24 tunnels discovered in Calendar Year 2008 alone. One tunnel -- the longest crossborder tunnel discovered in United States history -- had ventilation, drainage, and lighting systems, as well as a cement floor and a pulley system. The entrance to the tunnel in Mexico was 85 feet below the surface, and the tunnel crossed the U.S. border at approximately 40-45 feet below the surface, with the entrance on the U.S. side approximately nine feet below the surface. Law enforcement authorities seized over two tons of marijuana in the tunnel, which was attributed to a well-known Mexican drug trafficking organization."
(2005 - treatment and crime rates) "Increases in admissions to substance abuse treatment are associated with reductions in crime rates. Admissions to drug treatment increased 37.4 percent and federal spending on drug treatment increased 14.6 percent from 1995 to 2005. During the same period, violent crime fell 31.5 percent. Maryland experienced decreases in crime when jurisdictions increased the number of people sent to drug treatment."