"Instead, decades of punitive policing and militarised crackdowns left the US with record overdose deaths, one of the world's highest incarceration rates, and more than $1 trillion spent with little measurable impact on drug availability or demand, according to estimates by the Center for American Progress. In the US, the war on drugs helped reshape policing and criminal justice, disproportionately sweeping Black communities into prisons. Abroad, it fuelled a parallel conflict across Latin America, where US-backed operations deepened cycles of corruption and organised crime."
"Today, overdose deaths driven by fentanyl have reached historic highs and many states have moved to legalise cannabis. Now, as the Donald Trump administration appears poised for military action against Venezuela over accusations that the South American nation's government is driving narcotics trafficking into the US claims that Washington has not backed with evidence here's a look at how the war on drugs started, and its effects in the US and regionally."
More than 50 years of punitive US drug policy have cost over $1 trillion, produced record overdose deaths, and left the country with one of the world’s highest incarceration rates. The 1971 declaration of drug abuse as public enemy number one led to new federal agencies, tougher penalties, and militarised policing. Enforcement disproportionately targeted Black communities, driving mass incarceration. US-backed operations in Latin America intensified corruption and organised crime, exporting violence to the region. Fentanyl-driven overdose deaths have reached historic highs while many states legalise cannabis. Recent calls for military action against Venezuela rest on unsubstantiated allegations.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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