The continued economic crisis has shaken the foundations and assumptions upon which we have based our entire American system. The United States does not have the luxury of being wasteful and inefficient any longer. If we are to begin cutting back, there is no better place to start tha n the futile War on Drugs.

Of the more than two million people currently imprisoned in the United States, approximately one quarter have been convicted of a drug offense. An often-used counterpoint claims that most of these drug offenders deserve to be behind bars because they are traffickers; “No one gets arrested for possession,” they say. But the facts seem to indicate otherwise. According to FBI data, 83 percent of drug arrests are for possession alone.

Tellingly, the growing number of drug arrests does not correspond to an increased rate of drug use. What, then, is driving this perpetual growth? Faced with a decline in violent and property crimes, law enforcement turns to drug offenses for its arrests. The law often targets the same neighborhoods it expects will produce the results it is looking for. This “hood profiling” leads to the grossly disproportionate imprisonment of people of color we see in the American prison system.

This system of never-ending quotas and incarceration requires a never-ending supply of drug offenders. Drug dealers have a consistent market in recreational users and addicts alike. Drug addicts are driven to use regardless of sanctions placed on them by society. That is the nature of addiction. No matter how expensive or taboo the drug becomes, addicts will continue to struggle with their drug abuse. It is worth noting that the artificially inflated price of illegal drugs may in fact be leading to additional crime. 16 percent of state inmates and 18 percent of federal inmates report having committed their crimes to pay for their drug addictions.

Life is a vicious cycle for these addicts: streets, jail, repeat. Once they are brought into the prison system, they do not receive the proper treatment that could help them manage their addiction. Not only is this mistreatment of addicts unjust, but it is also a waste of taxpayer money. Community treatment of addicts is one of the most cost-effective means of reducing drug-related crimes, and costs about $20,000 less annually than incarceration. Every dollar spent on drug treatment yields over $18 in crime-related costs savings while every dollar spent on prison yields only $0.37. It seems obvious that we would choose to pursue this cost-effective, pragmatic, and humane approach towards the public health problem of drug addiction. Sadly, the War on Drugs continues to blind policymakers and perpetuate this broken system.

Our rationale for imprisoning dealers and users alike is the assumption that the punitive measures imposed by the prison system will deter others from making similar decisions. This assumption is flawed and fails to take into account the market forces at play. Because the illegal drug trade is so lucrative as a result of prices artificially inflated by prohibition, incarcerated dealers are quickly replaced by younger recruits. At a time when the national unemployment rate floats stubbornly around 9.4 percent, the plentiful job openings for dealers encourage more people to become involved with this type of criminal activity. In economically depressed areas, joining the illegal drug business may seem like the best option for many young people.

The War on Drugs is unsustainable. With Congress deeply divided, it may seem unlikely that something as controversial and complex as drug policy reform could be achieved. However, there are many positive signs across the political spectrum that point to an achievable end to the War on Drugs. Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) has long been the leading con- gressional voice against the War on Drugs. However, he is no longer alone. During the 111th Congress, Senator Jim Webb (D-Virginia) introduced the National Criminal Justice Act of 2009, which would have “established a ‘National Criminal Justice Commission’ to hold public hearings and undertake a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, including Federal, State, local, and tribal governments’ criminal justice costs, practices, and policies.” Despite bipartisan support, the bill never made it to the Senate floor for a vote. Still, it is clear that political consensus is developing, making an end to the War on Drugs a real possibility. It will require many more years of hard work, but empowering criminal justice experts rather than uninformed politicians to make policy is the best way to reform our prison system while simultaneously defeating the War on Drugs.

This article is adapted from an original blogpost on TRCommons.org. To read more of Greg’s work, visit his blog at http://www.trcommons.org/author/greg-beach/