.
Really? How did they know, in 1991, that the prison population in 2003 would be 2,019,234?
The article claims that 450,000 of those 2,019,234 are there because of a drug crime. That's 22%. Not half. Not 70-80%.
If you have a number that's different, provide me with a link as I courteously provided you with one. Without a link, I'm not interested.
"Measured how?
Availability of drugs."
Well, if nobody's using them, who cares? According to the laws of supply and demand, if availability is up and the price is down, what does that tell you about demand?
"Rising incarceration levels without a reduction in seizures."
The two are totally unrelated. To me, a rising incarceration level is not a sign of "total failure" -- more a sign of increased enforcement of the existing laws.
"Can you show me any drug war victory?"
Yeah. Overall drug use dropped 60% from its high in 1979 and has remained relatively flat for the last 15 years. That's how I measure success. It's that simple.
Who's figures are you using to make that determination?
LOL!
Yeah. Overall drug use dropped 60% from its high in 1979 and has remained relatively flat for the last 15 years. That's how I measure success. It's that simple.
First of all, correlation does not equal causality, so it is highly questionable to attribute the decline of a particular vice (drug use) to government policies. Second, the surveys depend on self-reporting, which can be affected by a number of factors. MJ was much more openly accepted in 1979 vs the Drug War years, so that could account for some of the decline.
But let's set those aside and go with your premise.
What did President Jimmy Carter, who thought mj should be decriminalized (maybe even legalized?), do to stop the rise of drug use and start a multi-year decline?