“The manner in which this war against drugs is being waged is equally or perhaps even more harmful than all the wars the world is fighting today, combined.” Said Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos after accepting his Nobel Peace Prize in 2016.

The actual death toll from the drug war is not comparable to actual warfare waged around the world. Nevertheless, Juan's sentiment is appropriate because a significant amount of the world's violence would be prevented by ending the war on drugs.

Gang Violence Would Be Limited

Chicago has the largest gang population in the country, with approximately 100,000 members who commit 75 to 80 percent of the city's homicides. LINK

One of the main causes for this violence is controlling turf for drug sales. If we could eliminate the black-market for drug trafficking in Chicago we could see these numbers drop substantially.

The United States of America has the largest market in the entire world for illicit drugs. Right now we can also see a well-documented opioid crisis legally ensuing. The U.S. is also a bigger consumer of cocaine than all of Europe.

When no smoke and mirrors are used, we can safely say that the U.S. illegal drug black-market is a $100 billion annual industry.

To The Source!

America does have a serious black-market violence problem, however it seems like child's play in comparison to the countries which produce and transport those illegal drugs. A good example is Mexico which experienced over 29,000 murders in last year and roughly 30-50% were drug war related.

This statistic does not consider the 30,000 missing people who are presumed to be killed in Mexico.

This cartel warfare is conducted in a very blatant manner and is almost indistinguishable from terrorist groups. The acts conducted by these cartels include hanging rival gang members from bridges or putting bounties on corrupt government officials. Black-market narcotic money allows these organized crime groups to operate with near impunity.

The most recent example of this type of corruption involves the Los Rojos gang which has financed the campaigns of 11 mayoral candidates in exchange for complete political protection. Always remember that these candidates did not agree because of greed, if they were to reject the cartel's offer, they would most likely be killed.

Over 100 mayors have been murdered in Mexico since 2006.

Almost all of those mayors were murdered to allow drugs to be spread across Mexico's borders.

Neighboring Countries Affected

Narcotics money corrupts every segment of government in the countries which produce, ship or consume the substances in order to protect the cartels. This includes police, prisons, judicial courts and politics.

Cartels are responsible for the worst massacre in Guatemala since their civil war. It was 2011 and cartel members beheaded 27 Innocent farmers in search of the ranch owner who was suspected of stealing drugs from the cartel.

Due to the war on drugs, the four countries immediately to the south of Mexico (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) are in the top six highest murder rates globally.

Similarly, 43 of the 50 cities with the highest murder rates are in Latin America or the Caribbean. Four more cities are in continental U.S. (Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans, and St. Louis). Only three other cities (in South Africa) are not in the same hemisphere.

Quick History Lesson

Four decades ago, on 17 July 1971, President Richard Nixon declared what has come to be called the "war on drugs". Nixon told Congress that drug addiction had "assumed the dimensions of a national emergency", and asked Capitol Hill for an initial $84m (£52m) for "emergency measures". LINK

This was a time when drugs became a symbol of rebellion, social revolution and political objection. Nixon's "drug war" started a complete halt of scientific research which was evaluating drug's medical safety and legitimate uses.

Marijuana was then placed in Schedule One, the most restrictive category of drugs, pending review by a commission Nixon appointed led by Republican Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer.

Between 1973 and 1977, eleven states in America decriminalized marijuana possession and almost allowed up to an ounce per person for personal use. This did not last however, soon the tide shifted.

1980s & 90s: Incarceration Skyrockets

Ronald Reagan's presidency marks the start of an industrialization of the prison industry, all thanks to Reagan's expansion of the drug war. The number of people behind bars for nonviolent drug law offenses increased from 50,000 in 1980 to over 400,000 by 1997. LINK

Public concern about drug use was huge, largely thanks to media portrayals (more like propaganda) of Americans addicted to cocaine's smokeable form crack.

At this time Nancy Reagan also started her highly publicized anti-drug campaign "Just Say NO".

A New Millennium: A Shift Towards More Sensible Laws?

George W. Bush was elected when the drug war was losing public interest. This did not stop him from allocating more money than ever to it. Bush's drug czar, John Walters, focused on marijuana and launched a major campaign which promoted student drug testing.

The George W. Bush era witnessed a massive escalation of militarization of domestic drug laws. By the end of Bush's term, 40,000 paramilitary-style SWAT raids were conducted on Americans every year - mostly focusing on nonviolent drug misdemeanors.

Federal reform moved nowhere, but state-level reforms finally began to slow the growth of the drug war.

Politicians Now Admit Drug Use

It is now normal for politicians to admit use of marijuana, even cocaine at times. Michael Bloomberg was questioned during his 2001 mayoral campaign whether he had ever used marijuana, he admitted "You bet I did – and I enjoyed it."

Barack Obama also discussed his prior cocaine and marijuana use: "When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently – that was the point."

Public opinion had shifted, but there was still a drug war being waged.

We Should Make Lawmakers Take Example From Portugal

The country has 3 overdose deaths per million citizens, compared to the EU average of 17.3 LINK

Portugal decriminalized the use of every single narcotic in 2001. Weed, crack, heroin, whatever you want. Possession of small amounts of drugs was treated as a public health issue, not a criminal one.

The drugs were still illegal (only decriminalized) so being caught with them meant a small fine and a possible referral to a treatment program - No jail and no criminal record.

"The reality is that Portugal’s drug situation has improved significantly in several key areas. Most notably, HIV infections and drug-related deaths have decreased, while the dramatic rise in use feared by some has failed to materialise." The Transform Drug Policy Institute says in its analysis of Portugal's drug laws.

Humans Will Continue To Use Drugs

What we have to realize is in order to better the situation we must drop the stigma. Incarcerating an innocent citizen because you still believe the murky past and current political situation that has been forced on you by your parents or political leaders is ridiculous.

Humans can and will evolve, I believe we will move from a species focusing on the drug war towards a society that values health issues and expansion of our consciousness through plant medicines above profits for the private prison complex.

What is your opinion on the drug war? Tell us in the comments!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.

Sources for images is provided by clicking on the image itself.

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The War On Drugs Is A War On Us!