After failing to do their jobs in the 2015 regular session and an additional special session, the Alabama State Legislature will soon convene again for a second special session to sort out our state’s budget woes before the new fiscal year begins on October 1. The state is scrambling to find the money to fill a $250 million hole in next year’s budget, with some arguing for tax increases, some for further spending cuts, and some for gambling. Instead of cutting education, state park funding, and other services (as it appears may be the final solution, and will affect us right here at the University of Alabama), legislators should save money by finally ending our state’s failed War on Drugs and instead pursue an effective, humane and progressive solution to the drug problem.
Right under Montgomery’s nose, Alabama’s prison spending rose to over $388 million in 2014, and most of that increase can be attributed to an increase in non-violent drug offenders being locked up for long periods of time. This number doesn’t include the increase spending for police officers, jails, and court costs that has had to rise as well. Mandatory minimums for nonviolent crimes, instituted by politicians wanting to appear “tough on crime,” have put far too many of our citizens in prison, and these policies also disproportionately affect minorities and the lower class.
When President Nixon declared “The War on Drugs” was starting in 1971, the national prison population was around 300,000. Today, the national prison population is over 2.4 million, higher than all other countries in the world combined. Despite all of the people it has locked up, the War on Drugs has been a failure; Mexican drug cartels do more business than ever in the United States and usage rates for dangerous drugs like meth, heroin, and synthetic marijuana have still risen.
We, as a nation, but also as a state, should take a page from Sweden. Sweden has one of the lowest drug usage rates in the western world, and a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime attributes the low usage to a drug policy that focuses on prevention and treatment rather than punishment. Illegal drug use is still a crime, and driving under the influence results in especially heavy punishment. However, treating addiction as a disease rather than an exclusively criminal act has resulted in Sweden having 84 people per 100,000 imprisoned rather than 725 in the United States or a staggering 1,230 in the state of Alabama. Not only would such a policy be beneficial for our citizens, it would save a ton of money.
This is not a column advocating for the legalization of marijuana—that is another matter entirely. Instead, I am advocating for a more responsible response to drug usage, which in some cases can destroy lives and obviously merits attention. Instead of fixing our budget exclusively with tax increases or spending cuts, we can both improve our criminal justice system—by focusing on prevention and treatment instead of punishment—and get a little money back for our state parks and schools.
Kyle Simpson is a junior majoring in biology. His column runs weekly.
