Discussion: The War on Drugs
Many early examples of attempts to eradicate drugs exist such as the Chinese opium laws, the Marijuana Tax Act, and Prohibition. In the last century, certain policies were re-implemented that history had already demonstrated were unable to achieve the desired effect.

It could be argued that the War on Drugs of the 1980s has had the single greatest effect on the American criminal justice system. These policies arguably had a greater impact on the social, political, and economic criminal justice reality in the name of deterrence and rehabilitation. For this Discussion, you examine unintended consequences of the War on Drugs and whether or not society has benefited from this war.


Post /Explain two unintended consequences of the War on Drugs. Explain whether or not you believe society has benefited from the War on Drugs and why. What are the potential international implications of the War on Drugs? Describe the necessary strategies to remedy these issues.

Learning Resources
Required Readings
Jones M., & Johnstone, P. (2011). History of Criminal Justice. (5th ed.) New York, NY. Routledge.

Chapter 18, "Law Enforcement Professionalism and the Establishment of a Criminal Justice System" (pp. 316-336)
Reiman, J., & Leighton, P. (2017). The rich get richer and the poor get prison: Ideology, class, and criminal justice (11th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Introduction, "Criminal Justice Through the Looking Glass, or Winning by Losing" (pp.1–10)
Chapter 1, "Crime Control in America: Nothing Succeeds Like Failure" (pp. 11–63)
Optional Resource
Burns, K. (Executive Producer), Goldie, W. S. (Writer). (2013). Drug wars [Television series episode]. In America’s book of secrets. Los Angeles, CA: Prometheus Pictures. [This media is available for rent or purchase at Amazon.com via the following link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D05FCGY/ref=dv_dp_ep8