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It is undeniable that America’s prohibition years, an era spanning little more than a decade, saw a salient rise in criminal activity. At the time, the 18th amendment to the Constitution was viewed as a moral victory that would promote the well being of society on the whole. However, as soon as the amendment went into effect, the speakeasies went up, bringing a flurry of organized crime with them. The era of Al Capone, the Purple Gang, and the St. Valentine’s Day massacre was a direct result of the good intentions of alcohol prohibition.

In our own time drug related crimes are still a backbone of the American criminal justice system. Patrick George, of the American Statesman, recently wrote about the legal and economic impact of America’s drug laws. When speaking with a local judge George writes:

District Judge Charlie Baird said about two-thirds of the offenders on his docket are there for alcohol- or drug-related crimes. He said he feels too many of them are being sent to prison, creating an unreasonable burden on taxpayers.

Two-Thirds does not seem to be an unreasonable assumption. The White House’s drug policy website has compiled an extensive fact sheet regarding drug related crimes. The question now remains: What do we do about it? We know that drugs lead people down paths that they would otherwise dare not go, and we know that our current drug laws have done little to curtail the problem? Is the next step to attack our drug problem by focusing on drug recovery, rather than simply putting an ever increasing number of drug addicts through an already cramped and inefficient legal system?

For more information about drug and alcohol recovery, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!

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