Cost of the War on Drugs

Charlie Sutcliffe

English IV 4th Period

5 May, 2014

Research Paper: Cost of War on Drugs per Year

The Cost of War on Drugs Per Year

Part 1: My Question-- What I Already Know, and What I Want to Know

The war on drugs has been an issue in the United States for over forty years. The war on drugs is such an interesting topic due to the broad range of fields of work. I found this topic interesting because I have considered making an impact on the war on drugs after college. I first started to find this topic interesting at a young age. Border patrol agents have always grabbed my attention in the news and while watching shows about the war on drugs. One of the biggest aspects of the war on drugs that I have always wondered about was the cost.

Since I have been interested in this from a young age, I do know some about it. The United States government spends billions of dollars nationally on this war every year and millions at the state level. Even with all the money spent, men and woman still have to go out and fight the battle. Not all of the brave men and woman make it back to their families at the end of the day. Some of the agents that try and stop the spread of drugs die in their field of work. I have learned that one of the most dangerous places to battle this war is that the border. The border of the United States and Mexico is where most of the illegal drugs are. The Mexico and United Stares border is one of the main sources that takes in the budget of the war on drugs. At the border, we stop many drugs from getting through but not enough.

I have always wondered how many drugs we actually stop compared to how many get through the precautions that our government takes to stop them. What does the government spend our money on to prevent the sale and distribution of drugs? With the amount of money we spend on this war, is the effort really worth it? The biggest thing I wonder about is the cost of the war on drugs-- not only in dollars, but also in human...