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Do US Anti-Drug Laws STIMULATE the economy?
By criminalizing weed and other low level drugs, this creates a need for jail guards, jail construction, administrators, cops, jail personnel, jail equipment manufacturers, and tons of overtime. This also creates a need for prosecutors, defense lawyers, judges, and support staff. We're talking BILLIONS OF DOLLARS in spending. The recipients of the drug-jail industrial complex spend this money on the economy. STIMULUS???
On the other side of the ledger, this means billions of dollars lost in tax revenue( if these low level drugs were taxed). Also, broken lives and lifelong stigma for being a convict (and diminished employment potential). Also, throwing drug offenders in jail just exposes them to learning other more serious crimes from other inmates. Not to mention the serious psychic, spiritual, and emotional damage. Is there a price tag for that?
Do you consider the drug-jail industrial complex a sneaky stimulus plan? Or do you think the economy would be better off with drug decriminalization?
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