Since the declaration of a "war on drugs" 40 years ago:•America has spent at least $1 trillion on the drug war. It cost U.S. taxpayers at least $51 billion in 2009 at the state and federal level. That’s $169 for every man, woman and child in America – and that’s not counting opportunity costs or costs at the local level.
•Millions of people have been incarcerated for low-level drug law violations, resulting in drastic racial disparities in the prison system.
•More than 1 of every 100 American adults is behind bars. In 1980, the total U.S. prison and jail population was about 500,000 – today, it is more than 2.3 million.
