Battle wrote:Is the law helping or hurting?
Any time there is government prohibition it creates a black market and cartels. A UN report said, "the global drug trade generated an estimated US $321.6 billion in 2003." With a world GDP of US$36 trillion in the same year, the illegal drug trade may be estimated as nearly 1% of total global trade. Consumption of illegal drugs is widespread globally.
Failures of the Drug War
It has failed to prevent drug abuse.
It has failed to prevent drug overdoses.
It has failed to reduce drug use.
It has failed to reduce the demand for drugs.
It has failed to keep drugs out of the hands of addicts.
It has failed to keep drugs out of the hands of teenagers.
It has failed to keep drugs out of schools.
It has failed to keep drugs out of prisons.
It has failed to stop the flow of drugs into the United States.
It has failed to stop the violence associated with drug trafficking.
The has succeeded in is increasing the prison population.
Increasing taxes.
Increasing the size of government.
Increasing the scope of government intrusion.
Increase in violence associated with Cartels.
Despite the constant effort by politicians to win the war on drugs, the U.S. is still the world’s largest importer of illegal drugs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_drug_trade