By Jason Klosek
$51 billion is spent annually to fund a war within this nation’s borders. This war has resulted in the uprooting and deaths of this country’s citizens. The counterproductive effects of this conflict have shown us that the war on drugs is clearly not working.
Current drug policy seeks to eliminate the problems caused by drug abuse by incarcerating individuals who possess or are involved in the sales of illicit drugs. By doing so, billions of dollars are spent to keep these people in jail and illegal drugs off the street. Despite these attempts, drugs are cheaper and of better quality and availability now, more than ever in the past.
It is imperative that we treat drug abuse as a health issue rather than treating it as a criminal justice issue.
We must promote the scientific education and sociological implications of drug use, not blanketed ideals that clump and label drugs altogether as bad and wrong. These actions are some of the goals of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). This international organization neither condemns nor condones drug use, but strives toward finding practical ways to reasonably reform drug policy.
SSDP – TCNJ Chapter and the Drug Policy Alliance of New Jersey will be hosting a screening of the movie, “The House I Live In,” on Wednesday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Science Complex Room P101 to illustrate the economic and social toll caused by the war on drugs. SSDP is looking for members and strongly encourages those who wish to see change happen in current drug policy to attend the screening.
