Drug Enforcement Administration lead agency on Drug Control
Fact 1: Significant progress has been made in fighting drug use and drug trafficking in America.
Fact 2: A balanced approach of prevention, enforcement, and treatment are the keys in the fight against drug abuse.
Fact 3: Drug use is regulated and access to drugs is controlled because drugs can be harmful.
Fact 4: Smoked marijuana has never been and will never be scientifically approved medicine.
Fact 5: Drug control spending is a minor portion of the U.S. budget. Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction, government spending on drug control is minimal.
Fact 6: Legalization of drugs will lead to increased use and increased levels of addiction.
Fact 7: Crime, violence, and drug use go hand-in-hand.
Fact 8: Alcohol and tobacco have caused significant health, social, and crime problems, and legalized drugs would only make the situation worse.
Fact 9: Europe’s more liberal drug policies are not the right model for America.
Fact 10: Most non-violent drug users get treatment, not jail time.
Six times as many homicides are committed by people under the influence of drugs than by those who are looking for money to buy drugs.
Most drug crimes aren’t committed by people trying to pay for drugs; they’re committed by people on drugs.
Drunk driving is one of the primary killers of Americans. Do we want our bus drivers, nurses, and airline pilots to be able to take drugs one evening, and operate freely at work the next day? Do we want to make “drugged” driving another primary killer?
In reality, a vast majority of inmates in state and federal prison for marijuana have been found guilty of much more than simple possession, and many of those serving time for marijuana possession pled down to possession in order to avoid prosecution on more serious charges. 0.1% No prior Trafficker level, Bureau of Justice statistics 2004, updated 2008
*In resource file DEA Position Paper on Marijuana Mental Health Issues, 15 pages