Usually, when we talk about this failed war on drugs, we speak about the countless lives interrupted, families destroyed, and people lost to senseless murder by our own government. I guess it’s ok because we’re not getting slaughtered like the war waged by the US government in Mexico. But, that’s another story that so many people cover. I wanted to talk about the truly herculean task of the war on drugs.
First of all, consider that in 1936, Anslinger said that there was only 100,000 marijuana users. However, today, there are approximately 28,000,000 regular users, not including the weekly users, monthly users, and first timers. If there is any proof that the war on drugs isn’t working as planned, that should be it. 75+ years later and we’ve seen a 2800% increase in DAILY marijuana use. This is HILARIOUS, at best.
Anyway, the math I wanted to discuss has to do with the amount of marijuana that’s actually floating around on the market place.
In 2009, 2,980.74 metric tons of marijuana was seized by local, state, and federal authorities. It’s accepted that the amount seized ONLY accounts for maybe 5-10% of the marijuana in the nation. But, let’s do some math and we’re gonna need that part of the marble notebook in the back for our conversions. In short..
2204 pounds in a METRIC ton.
1 metric ton = 1,000,000 grams.
2,980.74 metric tons = 2,980,740,000 grams
The reason I bring it down to grams is because there’s usually 1 gram per joint and it’s such a huge number. Let’s give law enforcement some credit and IMAGINE this number represents 10% of total marijuana production instead of the more realistic 5%. That’s 26,826,660,000 grams that gets USED in the US in 2009. There are 28,000,000 daily users in the US. That’s 958g (2+ pounds) per user per year.
Now consider the more realistic confiscation numbers at 5%. That means there’s ACTUALLY 56,634,060,000 grams, 2,022.6 grams, 4+ pounds per user per year. Personally, I don’t even use a pound in a year. I know there are people who use more than 4 pounds in a year.
Law enforcement – local, state, and federal – is failing American citizens when it comes to their war on drugs in two ways. First, for those that want marijuana eradicated, you’re looking at a 2800% increase in daily use over 75 years + a 5% confiscation rate. And, for those that want to use, law enforcement is not only attacking harmless users but leaving us fending for ourselves when REAL problems occur like school shootings. It’s just incredible to witness the magnitude of this failure in quantity and quality in any and all aspects.
