War on Drugs Moral and Essay

Although the cost of these successes can be tabulated in billions of dollars, money was also recovered from these arrests, and there is no way to measure the human lives that were not lost or affected due to the apprehension of dangerous drug lords.

Still, the EU Commission has raised the familiar argument that economics can generally used to support the side against continuing the drug war. In addition to the familiar argument of the war costing "too much," which is often hard to prove outside of strictly economic circles since safety, human life, and addiction are just a few of the variables that must be quantified in order to stage and effective debate, the EU notes that the war on drugs has damaged the economics of drug trafficking, making drugs less expensive, and therefore easier to obtain. In addition, the War on Drugs, or at least drug prohibition, increases the reliance on black markets which harms legitimate economies, creating yet another argument in favor of ending drug prohibition and the war on Drugs not only in the United States but around the world (O'Keeffe, 2009).

And the world's involvement in the war has been one of the problems that the United States must face when determining future War on Drugs policy. Recently, President Obama appointed the next in a long line of drug "czars" who is tasked with determining policy in the War on Drugs in the years to come. In order to determine what direction the War on Drugs takes, it is essential that the czar view both the moral and economic arguments against and for the war. While there are certainly other implications of the war -- including its politicization, the medical perspective, and the argument of those who suggest certain drugs should be legalized -- these moral and economic issues are, perhaps, the most pressing in today's world that places a high premium on justice and recovering from a sinking economy. Although both moral and economic arguments can be levied on either side of the issue -- continuing or abolishing the drug war -- it seems that, currently, the arguments against the war are a bit stronger. Through a modification of arrests and sentencing, such as removing mandatory minimums and insuring equality, as well as placing more emphasis on treatment to curb the black market affect on legitimate economies, anti-drug policies can be more affective, satisfying those who look at the issue from a variety of viewpoints.

References

Frontline. (2008). Thirty Years of America's Drug War. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/

Leduc, D. & Lee, J. (2003). Illegal Drugs and Drug Trafficking. Retrieved August 8,

2009, from the Library of Parliament: http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/bp435-e.htm

Lusane, C. & Desmond, D. (1991). Pipe Dream Blues. Cambridge: South End.

Mummert, M. (2007). The War on Drugs' War on Families. Retrieved August 8, 2009,

from UUWorld: http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/50586.shtml

O'Keeffe, C. (2009, August 4). War on drugs is not working, says EU Commission.

Retrieved August 8, 2009, from the Irish Examiner:…