The "War on Drugs"?

The American Government will spend $19 billion on the "War on Drugs"; almost $609 a second. Local and State governments will spend another $20 million. (Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy). Someone will be arrested every 20 seconds for minor drug offenses; such as having a 1/4 sac of weed. The government expects to exceed the 2000 record of 1,579,566 arrests for drugs. (Source: Uniform Crime Reports, FBI) Over 46% of all drug arrests are for marijuana. We have had almost a 20 year no-tolerance law against drugs, and what has it produced? Drugs have made a market more powerful than the US Stock Market, yet our politicians are stuck in a "Reefer Madness" mindset.  The UN International Drug Control Program reports that the illicit drug business generates around $400 billion in trade every year; 8% of the total international trade. The United States spends the same amount as our gross national product on the drug war, and it has been HIGHLY unsuccessful. It has produced crooked cops, put children's parents in jail, and local prisons have made room for drug offenders by releasing sex offenders; who tend to repeat their offense again. Violent felonies serve, on average, 63 months in prison; while a drug felony, which for example, over 4 ounces of weed or more is a felony drug possession, would get you 75 months in prison. Marijuana has been used for over 12,000 years, long before the existence of the USA. A lethal dose of marijuana was tested on animals to be around 4,000-40,000, yet a lethal dose of alcohol is 4-10. A lethal dose of marijuana is practically unachievable on humans. California has built 34 prisons since 1982, and built only 1 university. 21% of all violent felonies in state prisons were under the influence of alcohol, while 3% were on crack or coke and only 1% on heroin. In 1999, the state and federal courts authorized 1,350 wiretaps. Of those wiretaps, 978 were for drug investigation (72%), 62 were for homicide or assault (4%), and only 7 (less than half a percent) were for kidnapping. It's estimated that the US spends $1 billion on drug testing; testing 20 million people. It cost around $8.6 billion a year to keep drug violators in prison. During a 10 month study, it was discovered that 80% of all people who had property forfeited were never charged with a crime. Total forfeitures amount to $730 million. The US spent $625 million on counter narcotic operations in Columbia between 1990-1998 and Columbia passed Peru and Bolivia to become the leading cocaine supplier in world during that time period. Marijuana was federally prohibited in 1937. Today over 77 million admit to have tried it. Around the world, 141 million people smoke marijuana; about 2.5% of the worlds population. 

I learned more info last night on PBS about the subject. Did you know that the constitution of the US was written on hemp paper? That our first president, George Washington, grew and smoked marijuana on his farm. That the subject of marijuana was put to the Senate, without ANY medical testing done on it, and made illegal in 90 seconds. And not one person has ever died from a marijuana overdose in HISTORY!!!! There are 10,000 deaths a year from coffee, 100,000 deaths a year from alcohol poisoning, and 450,000 deaths a year from cigarettes. That marijuana is classified as a section 1 drug. Which means that it is fatal and serves no medical purpose. The hemp seed is the most nutritional seed in the world. Over 60 tons of hemp was used in making the USS Constitution. Canvas is actually the dutch word for cannabis. Wagons were covered with hemp cloth.  Hemp could replace the entire oil and paper industry and save our planet, but our corporate industries hold it down.  It is actually legal to grow marijuana as long as it doesn't produce a flower or leaves. That during alcohol prohibition, only sellers of illegal booze were arrested, not the users. But when marijuana prohibition was set in affect, the users and dealers are arrested.  Test done by numerous none government medical agencies (World Health Organization) have suggested legalization and said is does not cause any harm. But the government declares it public enemy #1. 

I will post more facts when I get time. But for now, check out www.drugwarfacts.org , www.drugsense.org , and just search for legalization on Google.