War on Drugs

The "War on Drugs" refers to the United States federal government's efforts to stop the influx, sale and usage of illegal drugs. The War on Drugs can be traced back to 1880 when the United States and China agreed on the prohibition of opium shipments between the countries. In 1971 Richard Nixon officially declared "War on Drugs" and created a federal anti-drug policy. Since then a number of laws regarding habit forming drugs have been passed. In the U.S. the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforces the laws of controlled substances.

Fast Facts

1. Annual Cost: About $12 billion
2. Richard Nixon declared "war on drugs" in 1971
3. Marijuana is America's #1 cash crop
4. Current "Drug Czar": John P. Walters

Cost of the War on Drugs

The calculates the cost of the War on Drugs by adding the funds spent on the effort to stop the illegal drug trade, and the cost to rehabilitate drug offenders. Roughly $12 billion was spent in 2005 for the purpose of controlling drugs. The cost of jailing drug offenders was $30 billion that same year. $9.1 billion as spent for police protection, and $4.5 billion for legal purposes, all together $45.5 billion was spent in 2005 in the War on Drugs.

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