That the "drug war" is & will probably continue to be a resounding failure is rarely questioned by rational people. We say "rational" because there are many who have such a high stake in the war that they are unable or unwilling to admit the truth. The fact is drug use has not stopped nor is it likely to. In fact, it can be argued that the drug war has exacerbated the problem all out of proportion, exactly the way alcohol prohibition did. Comparisons between the two ill-conceived attempts at using law to suppress behavior are so numerous they constitute a mantra. So the drug war is not just a failure, it is itself a serious problem. Why does it continue despite everything we know, regardless of how much damage is done? We believe we have some legitimate answers.

First, there exists in the United States an entrenched, priviledged group of political & social conservatives who are highly skilled & successful at manipulating public opinion & policy in favor of their belief system. They constitute a direct threat to American rights, freedoms, & the continuation of the expansion of those rights & freedoms to all citizens. They do not care how much suffering or damage is done in the enforcement of their agenda, for they often unconciously percieve themselves as holy warriors in battle against immorality & even evil. They dislike groups like the ACLU & others because civil rights activists & freedom advocates represent a barrier to their goals.

If the drug war is causing suffering, injustices, & loss of freedom, is it an ethical struggle? Our belief is that it is not. For one thing, the drug war has pushed drug use into the shadows of illegality & neglect. People with addictive personalities caught in the downward spiral outside of the law get sucked into the justice system inappropriate for what is certainly a medical condition & clearly a health issue. There is such a lack of compassion here, typical of many conservatives.

Economically, drug prohibition has increased the price of the most dangerous drugs to black market rates, making violence more common because greed becomes a terrible factor. So, in an important way, the drug war is itself responsible for the violence connected with illegal drugs. Many of the deaths suffered in this war is the result of drug policy. Yet again, discompassionate conservatives fueling the war do not appear to care.

Which leads us to a critical question: who is it that actually benefits from the continuation of the drug war? The answer is, one, conservatives whose only interest is in maintaining their beliefs by oppressing others of dissinting opinion & lifestyle. Another is the domestic prision system, which is a multi-million dollar industry incarcerating up to two million American citizens, many for non-violent, victimless "crimes". Another is politicians & police who appear to be protecting the "average" & "law-abiding" citizen. The real result is that drug use has been relagated to the darkness of neglect & punitive measure have replaced healing. Therefore, we propose that there are enough persons who benefit econmically & politically from the irrational drug war to at least partially explain its otherwise inexplicable continuation.