Report: U.S. Drug War Spending Is Unjustifiable

[mrjarrell]

Wow, quelle surprise! People in the Senate are finally catching on and a democrat at that! Throw money at a "problem" for decades and there's no positive results and, finally someone catches on. This is the kind of thing I'd like to see spread. Especially to the so-called "conservatives". Of course, El Presidente' takes issue with their findings. He'd like to keep flushing money down the drug war toilet.

Report: U.S. Drug War Spending Is Unjustifiable : The Two-Way : NPR

 

[PatriotPride]

Good find. I'm extremely surprised that a Democrat came to this conclusion.

 

[kedie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGsEt-qtOqs

 

[rambone]

If you support the Federal War on Drugs, you can't be taken seriously as a fiscal conservative. IMO

 

[Bond 281]

If you support the Federal War on Drugs, you can't be taken seriously.

Fixed that for you.

 

[jsharmon7]

I haven't done much research on the drug war debate, but I had a question I've been considering:

Why do people say that we only fight the drug war to make money, but then say that it costs us too much money?

I've read on here many times that police agencies only focus on drugs to make money off it rather than stopping the import of drugs. Kirk Freeman has said that departments/municipalities get lots of money from diversion funds and seizures too. So how can it go both ways? I'm just a peon so I don't know much about diversion funds and budget funding.

 

[steveh_131]

Why do people say that we only fight the drug war to make money, but then say that it costs us too much money?

The people who participate in the drug war make money and therefore want to propagate it. It offers huge amounts of expansion in government.

The people who pay for them to propagate it (us) are the ones who think it costs too much money.

 

[Bond 281]

I haven't done much research on the drug war debate, but I had a question I've been considering:

Why do people say that we only fight the drug war to make money, but then say that it costs us too much money?

I've read on here many times that police agencies only focus on drugs to make money off it rather than stopping the import of drugs. Kirk Freeman has said that departments/municipalities get lots of money from diversion funds and seizures too. So how can it go both ways? I'm just a peon so I don't know much about diversion funds and budget funding.

What I think happens is that the federal politicians want to seem tough on drugs and all that so they throw money at the problem. Then, local agencies abuse the drug laws to make money for their own offices. There's also the idea the feds just enact tough drug laws to control the population, or that the legislation is based on racial motives. This still doesn't preclude individual departments from trying to get their "fair share" of all the money thrown about.

 

[dross]

I haven't done much research on the drug war debate, but I had a question I've been considering:

Why do people say that we only fight the drug war to make money, but then say that it costs us too much money?

I've read on here many times that police agencies only focus on drugs to make money off it rather than stopping the import of drugs. Kirk Freeman has said that departments/municipalities get lots of money from diversion funds and seizures too. So how can it go both ways? I'm just a peon so I don't know much about diversion funds and budget funding.

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. The agencies can make money by siezures, but overall the cost is huge. A big part of the individual agencies and departments are funded to fight the war on drugs and then they also make money by seizing money. The whole thing costs US the taxpayers, however.

 

[Paco Bedejo]

If you support the Federal _______, you can't be taken seriously.

FTFY

 

[misconfig]

Mr. Obama has recently upped the federal "war on drugs" budget to a whopping 29.2 Billion dollars.

I always remember this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQr9ezr8UeA&feature=relmfu


Also, keep in mind, Marijuana is both Canada and the US' LARGEST CASH CROP, in California alone, medical marijuana is known to pull in at least 1 BILLION a year. Our federal budget for the "war on Marijuana" is 10 BILLION annually. We have 50 states, you do the math.

 

[rambone]

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. The agencies can make money by siezures, but overall the cost is huge. A big part of the individual agencies and departments are funded to fight the war on drugs and then they also make money by seizing money. The whole thing costs US the taxpayers, however.

I'll add...

Police Departments might "make" money by going around and confiscating it. Or they might not.

But... it is always the taxpayers who bear the burden of of the overall costs. The court costs and prison costs to keep literally millions of people locked up for non-violent offenses.

We have the biggest prison population in the world... Well beyond countries who have several times our total population. It is madness.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I've read on here many times that police agencies only focus on drugs to make money off it rather than stopping the import of drugs. Kirk Freeman has said that departments/municipalities get lots of money from diversion funds and seizures too. So how can it go both ways?

There may be agencies that at one time were concerned with stopping the import of drugs but they now realize it is pointless and now focus on forfeitures. Remember the news segments that were posted here from Tennessee.

It's a game now. We all understand this. Remember what Weber said, once a bureaucracy loses sight of its goal, it redoubles its efforts.

Kirk not only told you but IIRC I showed you too. Cops cry poverty but they swim in diversion money. Diversion money raised by a pointless war.

It is not both ways. It is only way one. War without end. War conducted to further the war.

More and more people are realizing that there is no point to the war on drugs. We are expending gold and blood with no end in sight.

Declare victory and bring the troops home.

 

[dross]

But what will happen to all the unemployed drug dogs? What if they turn to crime in their desperation?

 

[lashicoN]

We have the biggest prison population in the world... Well beyond countries who have several times our total population. It is madness.

Doesn't that make us the least free nation on Earth, literally?

 

[level.eleven]

But what will happen to all the unemployed drug dogs? What if they turn to crime in their desperation?

Lucky for us, cops have no problem shooting dogs.

 

[Stschil]

Wow, end the war on drugs and there's more money to send to the BATFE so they can buy evil black rifles and ship them to Mexico so they can fight the war on illegal weapons flowing across the border.

 

[KG1]

But what will happen to all the unemployed drug dogs? What if they turn to crime in their desperation?

No, All those dogs can go work for the Dept of Education.

 

[dross]

No, All those dogs can go work for the Dept of Education.

Silver badge answer.

 

[hornadylnl]

I haven't done much research on the drug war debate, but I had a question I've been considering:

Why do people say that we only fight the drug war to make money, but then say that it costs us too much money?

I've read on here many times that police agencies only focus on drugs to make money off it rather than stopping the import of drugs. Kirk Freeman has said that departments/municipalities get lots of money from diversion funds and seizures too. So how can it go both ways? I'm just a peon so I don't know much about diversion funds and budget funding.

The government doesn't have to subtract overhead from the gross and end up with a net income like a private individual or business does. Every dollar coming in is net profit. They can spend $10 of your money to put a dollar in their pocket. That dollar is 100% profit to them.