There is more than one answer to the first part of this question, why is there a war on drugs? Seemingly the most obvious answer is that drugs are dangerous and cause major problems in society. The drug war exists to stop drugs from being sold and used by people, thereby minimising the harm done to society by drugs.
Another answer is that there is a war on drugs to protect the profits of certain industries such the pharmaceutical and petroleum industries. As the latest research and science confirms, some drugs that are currently illegal are showing huge promise in the treatment of serious diseases such as cancer and mental health problems.
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As a by product of the war on cannabis the non psychoactive plant Hemp is also illegal. Hemp has many industrial uses including making bio-fuels in competition with the oil industry. Biodegradable plastics can also be made from this plant without the use for petroleum ingredients.
Accusations have also been made that the "War on drugs" is used to attack minority groups such as African Americans and persons of Latino descent as these cultures have long histories of using psychoactive substances for ritual, religious and spiritual purposes. In America minorities are disproportionately represented in drug related arrest and incarceration statistics.
WHAT HAS THE WAR ON DRUGS ACHIEVED?
Regardless of the real reason for the war on drugs, perhaps the most important question at this point in it's history is to ask what are the results of this decades long war?
The first obvious observation is that the drug war has created a multi billion dollar black market for illegal drugs. Organised criminal gangs are reaping unbelievable amounts of money from manufacturing and trafficking illegal drugs. No taxes are paid on these profits and there is a huge amount of violence associated with the illegal drug trade.
Drug use in societies worldwide has grown year after year throughout the time of the war on drugs. The black market is so profitable that organised crime worldwide cannot resist feeding the illegal drug supply.
Recent innovations with crypto currencies such as Bitcoin and online drug dealing market places on the "Dark Web" such as the Silk Road have completely revolutionised the illegal drug trade.
The illegal drug trade now has no borders and the postal system is the major trafficker of illegal drugs.
So in decades of prohibition and a worldwide war on drugs we have seen drug use increasing worldwide and arrest rates and imprisonment rates for drug related crimes have also increased worldwide year after year. Drug use is regarded as a "victimless crime" in common law.
Worldwide now there are calls for the decriminalisation and or legalisation of illegal drugs to end the massive waste of money and Policing resources and to stop the damage that is being done to peoples lives by criminalising them for drug use. The harms of prohibition out weigh the benefits and research into possible medicinal uses of some drugs is very difficult because of their legal status.
Some countries are now legalising drugs such as Portugal and many States in America have legalised marijuana either for personal or medicinal use.
The taxation of marijuana is creating huge income for State governments and the marijuana industry is creating thousands of jobs in tough economic times.
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