ORIGINAL ARTICLE, PHOTOS, AND MORE INFO CAN BE FOUND HERE:
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/opinion/guest_opinion/who-profits-from-the-war-on-drugs/article_9ad67a0a-4928-11e2-beab-001a4bcf887a.html

Posted: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 8:35 am
By Harry Peck

"For 40 years, at a cost of more than $1 trillion, America has waged a 'war against drugs.' It has failed completely. It has had no impact on the use of recreational drugs, which remains at the same or higher levels than when the 'war' began. Why do we continue this costly, failed and unpopular policy when other countries have tried legalization and decriminalization with considerable success?

"Not surprisingly, the answer is money. Not just the drug dealers make huge profits, but also respected businesses and organizations.

"This country has had attempts to legalize (and tax) marijuana. By looking at the opposition to these we can see who is determined to keep marijuana use criminal, and why.

The wealthiest, and most vigorous opponents of decriminalization are private prison corporations. They make billions annually by incarcerating people, primarily non violent offenders, drug users and illegal immigrants, and have spent millions lobbying to increase sentences and imprison more people.

"The largest, and most influential (especially in Arizona) of these, is Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), which runs over 60 prisons and immigrant detention centers in 19 states and the District of Columbia. It lobbies heavily, employing more than 175 lobbyists in 32 states during the last eight years. It has admitted that continuing the 'war on drugs' is part of its business plan.

"In Arizona, its influence is enormous. Its high profile lobbyists include Chuck Coughlin, a senior political advisor to Gov. Brewer, who chaired her transition team when she assumed office and managed her campaign in 2010. CCA's lobbying paid off when our legislature awarded more new prison contracts in September 2012

"This industry worked with the American Legislative Council (ALEC) to achieve passage of SB1070, which ensured more prisoners. Thirty of the 36 co-sponsors of that legislation received campaign contributions from from private prison companies or lobbyists.

The second major opponents of decriminalization are police and prison guard unions. Police departments everywhere have become dependent on federal anti-drug grants to finance their budgets. In California, a police union lobbyist coordinated the defeat of Prop. 19, a 2010 ballot measure to legalize marijuana. In 2008, the California Correctional Officers union spent $1 million to defeat a measure that would have 'reduced sentences and parole times for nonviolent drug offenders while emphasizing treatment over prison.'

"Third are the alcohol and tobacco interests. Obviously, they fear competition for American recreational dollars from a new industry.

"When Prop. 19 was proposed in California to legalize cultivation and distribution of pot, the California Beer and Beverage Distributors' PAC donated to the campaign to defeat that initiative.

"The fourth opponents are pharmaceutical corporations whose opposition is clearly based on monetary interest – not only is marijuana alleged to have medicinal properties, but it can be a substitute for widely used 'over the counter' or prescription drugs which are more expensive and profitable.

"Two states recently decriminalized marijuana. This may provide a stimulus, but federal authorities have consistently taken the position that state laws do not nullify federal laws. It is clear therefore, that this is not a problem that can be solved on a state-by-state basis, producing a myriad of undoubtedly differing state laws.

"We spend more on prisons than higher education and have more people in prison than any other nation in the world. Corporations, which profit from incarcerating people, work with legislators to write laws requiring mandatory and longer sentences, all for profit.

"The conscience of this country demands that we put an end to this situation. We must follow the lead of other countries, like Portugal, and decriminalize the mere possession and/or use of recreational drugs. By taxing and regulating these drugs we can generate billions to pay for schools, health care, deficit reduction and other priorities, and lower the cost of law enforcement and incarceration. We can starve the cartels of their primary source of income and restore peace and order to the areas affected by their violence. The future is up to us."

© Copyright 2012, Nogales International, Nogales, AZ.