Consider the following scenario: President Barack Obama calls a press conference. At the conference, he expresses his concern for what he considers to be one of the single greatest threats to society: germs. He announces his intention to launch a full-scale "War on Germs," with the eventual goal of completely eliminating all germs from the face of the earth.
In order to implement this goal, he creates an entire government agency dedicated to dealing with the germ threat. He pumps billions upon billions of dollars into his anti-germ program only to find that he is no closer to reaching his goal. His solution: Spend even more tax dollars on anti-germ efforts. However, no matter what action the government takes, germs are still running rampant.
It is very obvious to see that fighting a "War on Germs" would be an utterly futile effort. Based on the sheer number of germs and their abilities to adapt to changing environments, it is virtually impossible to eradicate them all. What we are able to do, however, is reduce the level of impact that germs have on society. We can educate people about sanitary practices, like washing their hands, bathing and sterilizing utensils. We are also able to treat people afflicted by germs through our medical system. Therefore, although we cannot eliminate germs, we are able to minimize their influence on society as a whole.
The exact same logic can be applied to the "War on Drugs," the series of anti-drug policies implemented by Richard Nixon that is the backbone of modern drug policy, which led to the creation of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). In 2009, the current budget of the DEA is $2,602,000,000. Furthermore, in 2005, approximately 253,000 inmates were held in state prisons for drug offenses at a cost of approximately $67.55 per inmate per day (which adds up to $6,245,301,475 per year). Despite all this government spending, drugs are still readily available.
A 2005 survey of U.S. citizens over the age of 12 indicated that 40.1 percent had used marijuana, 17.1 percent had used powder or crack cocaine, and 1.5 percent had used heroin. In fact, in 2008, 47 percent of Americans reported using an illicit drug at least once during their lifetimes. Considering that this "war" has been going on since the 1970s, one would expect slightly more progress than that.
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If you support prohibition then you've helped trigger the worst crime wave in this nation's history. 

You've helped create a black market with massive incentives to hook both adults and children alike. 

You've helped to make these dangerous substances available in schools and prisons. 

You've helped raise gang warfare to a level not seen in this country since the days of alcohol bootlegging. 

You've helped remove many important civil liberties from those citizens you falsely claim to represent. 

You've helped put previously unknown and contaminated drugs on the streets. 

You've helped to escalate Theft, muggings and burglaries. 

You've helped to divert scarce law-enforcement resources away from protecting your fellow citizens from the ever escalating violence against their person or property. 

You've helped overcrowd the courts and prisons, thus making it increasingly impossible to curtail the people who are hurting and terrorizing others.
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I disagree, no one likes germs, but some people like drugs.
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WOWAWOWOD: you are missing the point of the article. The point is that, like germs, drugs are an epidemic that infiltrate, adapt to, and infect societies in large quantities. Like germs, it is impossible to eliminate all drugs because of this ability to adapt. Also, like germs, we can minimize their impact on society through education and treatment.
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I don't think he was being serious.
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The germ analogy is used to represent how the government thinks of Drug users. Very well written article.
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For anyone interested in this article and learning more about what you can do to end the Drug War, come join Virgina Tech's chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy! We meet Wednesdays at 8:30 in Squires 145 and are dedicated to educating people about the harms caused by the War on Drugs and how there is a better way to solve our nation's drug problem.
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To add on to what Perry said, stop by Sharky's tonight around 11pm to buy SSDP Brownies! Each brownie will come with a card with more facts about the drug war!
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Very well written mate
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