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Traditionally the worse the problem gets the more police and money we throw into the mix.
<br />Local and State police where not the only ones benefiting from the influx of "big bucks" being
<br />offered them to fight the war on drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration of the federal
<br />government had 2,775 employees when it was created in 1972, to replace the old Bureau of
<br />Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. By 2005 DEA had quadrupled its staff to 10,894 but its budget, the
<br />money we give it to fight a failed war, had increased to 34 times the original amount from $65
<br />million in 1972 to over $2.1 Billion in 2006.
<br />In 1980 we got a new man in the White House. President Ronald Reagan told us we were
<br />doing a good job arresting people but we were going about it the wrong way. "Think of it as an
<br />economics equation," he said. "You are working on the supply side arresting drug dealers when you
<br />should be working on the demand side arresting drug users. If you arrest enough users you will
<br />frighten them away and without users there will be no dealers."
<br />At roughly the same time the politicians told the cops, "Just do your job better. Arrest more
<br />people and we will back you up a hundred percent. We will pass the harshest laws ever conceived
<br />(mandatory minimums and `three strikes, you're out'). `Lock them up and throw away the key' and
<br />our problem will be solved." Well, lock them up we did but our problem was not solved.
<br />Arrests for Nonviolent Drug Offenses
<br />Marijuana Arrests and Total Drug Arrests in the
<br />US
<br />Year
<br />Total
<br />Drug
<br />Arrests
<br />Total
<br />Marijuana
<br />Arrests
<br />Marijuana
<br />Trafficking/Sale
<br />Arrests
<br />Marijuana
<br />Possession
<br />Arrests
<br />Total
<br />Violent
<br />Crime
<br />Arrests
<br />Total
<br />Property
<br />Crime
<br />Arrests
<br />2005
<br />1,846,351
<br />786,545
<br />90,471
<br />696,074
<br />603,503
<br />1,609,327
<br />2004
<br />1,745,712
<br />771,605
<br />87,286
<br />684,319
<br />590,258
<br />1,649,825
<br />2003
<br />1,678,192
<br />755,186
<br />92,300
<br />662,886
<br />597,026
<br />1,605,127
<br />2002
<br />1,538,813
<br />697,082
<br />83,096
<br />613,986
<br />620,510
<br />1,613,954
<br />2001
<br />1,586,902
<br />723,628
<br />82,519
<br />641,109
<br />627,132
<br />1,618,465
<br />2000
<br />1,579,566
<br />734,497
<br />88,455
<br />646,042
<br />625,132
<br />1,620,928
<br />1999
<br />1,532,200
<br />704,812
<br />84,271
<br />620,541
<br />644,770
<br />1,676,100
<br />1998
<br />1,559,100
<br />682,885
<br />84,191
<br />598,694
<br />675,900
<br />1,805,600
<br />1997
<br />1,583,600
<br />695,201
<br />88,682
<br />606,519
<br />717,750
<br />2,015,600
<br />1996
<br />1,506,200
<br />641,642
<br />94,891
<br />546,751
<br />729,900
<br />2,045,600
<br />1995
<br />1,476,100
<br />588,964
<br />85,614
<br />503,350
<br />796,250
<br />2,128,600
<br />1990
<br />1,089,500
<br />326,850
<br />66,460
<br />260,390
<br />1980
<br />580,900
<br />401,982
<br />63,318
<br />338,664
<br />1970 415,600 180,000 j
<br />Sources: http: / /www.tbi.gov /ucr /05cius /arrests /index.html Crime in the United States: FBI
<br />Uniform Crime Reports 2005 (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 2006)
<br />That was
<br />when the "war on
<br />drugs" became a
<br />self - perpetuating
<br />and ever - expanding
<br />policy. By 2004 we
<br />had quadrupled the
<br />yearly arrest figures
<br />of 1970, to where
<br />we are now
<br />arresting 1.9 million
<br />nonviolent drug
<br />offenders each year
<br />with nearly half
<br />of those arrests for
<br />marijuana
<br />violations and
<br />because Mr. Reagan
<br />said arrest users 88
<br />percent of the
<br />marijuana arrests
<br />were for possession.
<br />I'm throwing
<br />around a lot of
<br />numbers here and numbers out of context are meaningless. Just how many are 1.9 million people?
<br />That number is larger than the population of New Mexico. So just imagine that this year we arrest
<br />every man, woman, child and baby in the state of New Mexico. And next year we will have to find a
<br />new state because we continue making 1.9 million arrests every year.
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