Dear Madame/ Mr. President:

Our nation declared a “ War on Drugs” about a half century ago with President Nixon, with his approval in 1971 there was an increase in federal drug control agencies. Drugs like marijuana were put into a restrictive category of drugs. Many people who were caught with small amounts of marijuana and cocaine were imprisoned and charged. The people who are caught are almost never violent people these individuals are people willing to make a choice that could affect their life, but they are willing to take a chance. In essence, let them make decisions that could affect their life but let them make decisions for themselves and not be punished by their non violent actions. If our justice system keeps treating non violent criminals as violent criminals then the war on drugs will never be settled because drug abusers will never learn from their mistakes and will keep going back to prison, instead drug abusers should be reached on a psychological level and helped mentally.

The war on drugs needs to be reviewed and perhaps revised, marijuana is now becoming a legal drug in many states and non harmful people need to not be treated as violent criminals. Non violent people should not be treated as violent criminals. There are 55,624 federal prisoners, and 50% are non violent first time offenders. Also, 59% of federal prisoners are incarcerated for drug charges, while only 2% are arrested for violent crimes. The focus in our justice system needs to be changed from drug offenders to violent criminals.

Drug abusers need to be reached on a psychological level that understands the mindset of an individual for their reasoning of why they feel they need to do the drug they want. Putting non violent people in prison can change a persons personality and make them violent. Although these people make the choice to put their life at risk with a dangerous or non dangerous drug they may be doing, these people need to be understood. Look at general societies where certain dangerous drugs like heroin, meth, and crack cocaine are used with certain people. Getting the drug away from certain societies where it harms the most people is very needed. Instead of putting the drug abusers in a bad environment they should be informed on their health and the risk that they may be putting on other people.

What needs to be done is a refocus on our “War on Drugs”, non violent drug abusers do not deserve to go to federal prison with unsafe people. Our U.S. citizens should be helped not punished for doing something that risks their health. Drug abusers should be given counseling help and if their drug problems are not helped they should be put in a drug abuser help system to helping drug abusers get off their certain drugs. We need to help our American people instead of putting them in unsafe areas.

Sincerely,

Brendan M.