hose who use drugs outlined to be illicit, quell all to trade and commerce of such substances, and even to go as far to prevent countries with in our general border vicinity from producing and exporting these substances. The illicit drug market, pre-drug war, is estimated to be a hundred billion dollar a year business. The federal government, since the beginning the war of drug, spends approximately ten billion dollars a year on drug enforcement agencies and programs, and another estimated one hundred and ninety billion dollars a year on investigating drug related crimes, prosecution of alleged drug activities, and enforcing punishments and/or imprisonment. That adds up to be a staggering cost of two hundred billion dollars ($770.00 per person) to attempt to prevent one hundred billion dollars worth of illicit drug use. (Evans and Berent) Another consequence of this questionable war lies in Opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is defined as the cost of opportunity lost in pursuit of another option. This cost analysis is relevant in the case of the drug prohibition policy in that the resources use to implement the policy are limited, police and prisons. The law enforcement used in this ¡§war of drugs¡¨ has their time nearly monopolized by the approximate thirty to forty million people yearly who purchase and use drugs. This inherently leaving various law enforcement agencies with less ability to confront other crimes. Then there is the problem of prisons. The space in the prisons is extremely limited, and the cost of keeping a person in prison is astronomical in caparison to the prevention being provided in reference to drug prohibition. The issue of limited prison space gains significance greatly when you consider an estimated sixty-percent of prison population is serving time on drug conviction. In 1994 some seven hundred and fifty thousand people were arrested in drug related events. Of the seven hundred and fifty thousand people arrested, six hundred thousand of them were charged with minor counts of possession. (Wink) Other indicators that can be easily observed such as the rise in illicit drug use by teens and children reported the Drug Enforcement Agency. In fact only twenty-eight percent of teens used illicit drug compared to a whopping forty percent in 1996. (DEA/CDC) The misallocation of resources is totally exhausting and paralyzing the entire legal system that could be better targeted on a more productive agenda. What does

Some topics in this essay:
Effects Society, Enforcement Agency, Evans Berent, Drugs¡¨ Initially, United Constitution, William Schwarzer, Drug Prohibition, United Bush, Bush Congress, President Bush, drug prohibition, federal government, drug prohibition policy, thousand people, prohibition policy, illicit drug, illicit drugs, positive negative, positive liberty, law enforcement, war drugs, hundred fifty thousand, seven hundred fifty, fifty thousand people, rights life liberty,