PBH Network Logo Alligator Sunglasses
Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway

Learn From Peace

Flirtation Anxiety

 PBH2 Video Before Its Viral
A Tour Of The Known Universe

A Tour Of The Known Universe

The Antique Pornographic French Pocket Watch

Amazing Backyard Roller Coaster

 All That Is Interesting
Our Stunningly Symmetric World

Our Stunningly Symmetric World

The Anatomy Of The World’s Densest City

A Peek Inside The Grand Canyon

 Runt Of The Web
The Best Viral Pictures of the Week, Volume 10

The Best Viral Pictures of the Week, Volume 10

The Genius Of Actual Advice Mallard

The Best Of The Sudden Clarity Clarence Meme

 ProseBeforeHos The Far Side Of Politics
An Amazing Pro-Choice Poster

An Amazing Pro-Choice Poster

You Might Be A Republican If…

I Stand With Rand In The Cayman Islands

 PBH Network Facebook PBH Network Twitter StumbleThru PBH Network

Graphing The War On Drugs

Posted on January 17, 2013 in Images
US Drug Addiction Spending

An insightful GIF comparing the level of government spending on the war drugs in America versus the drug addiction rate since the inception of the war on drugs in 1970.

Email

0

Other PBH Posts You'll Like

Decriminalize Drugs And Drug Abuse Goes Down

Is It Time To Legalize The Use Of Hard Drugs?

Dealing With The Failed War On Drugs

The Numbers Behind The Failed War On Drugs

From The PBH Network

Hot On The Web

Comments

  • DeSwiss

    Investments never ”fail” when you can print your own money. :-/

    • http://twitter.com/nubwaxer nubwaxer

      the prison for profit industry cannot fail when law enforcement and courts have an interest ti preserve their jobs by supplying the prisoners they need.

      • DeSwiss

        Exactly. Which is precisely why DEEPLY cutting police and the court’s budgets and releasing non-violent inmates needs to happen FIRST.

        But because this makes sense and is right, I have no expectation that it will happen. :-/

  • Peter

    As much as I agree with the sentiment that the graph represents, I have to wonder…does it account for inflation of the dollar in the same timeframe? Because if it doesn’t, the amount of spending probably isn’t nearly as jarring.

  • john onyma

    Um.. no, sorry.

    I also agree with the sentiment (war on drugs = costly, ineffective), but the numbers here seem so far off that the message is discredited. Irony would make the point, not go so far as to be discredited.

    The rate of off-prescription painkiller use has skyrocketed in this country… something like 12 million Americans are now on powerful opioids that were not prescribed to them. The DEA is charged with stopping “drug diversion” which is the flow of prescription drugs to the black market (now 12 million consumers??). Seems like a crazy task, and also seems there should be better ways to intervene.

    Deaths related to alcohol use now out number deaths from any other preventable cause…. including car accidents. We had drunk drivers crashing into us, now we also have drugged drivers on Oxycontin crashing into us. What’s going on?

    Today, people feel a need to be sedated or buzzed or high or drunk or “wonked” just to function in social settings, at work, or in order to “have fun” at an event or out with their friends. Sometimes the substances are needed in order to simply tolerate living (living in poverty, living with the abusive spouse, living with the pain of rejection or loss of a loved one, living idle, living sick, or just plain living bored). Sometimes they are needed just to be able to tolerate complexity like this comment.. who can handle all the ifs/ands/buts and this guy going on and on and on…. OMF god! somebody get me a drink!

    We explore these issues ourselves at http://JohnsAddiction.com and it’s not simple, not pretty, and not an easy matter of legalization.

  • http://twitter.com/nubwaxer nubwaxer

    wasted spending to expand the police state and diminish everyone’s freedom at our cost.