In an examination of state sentencing policies for drunk drivers compared to drug offenders, the Sentencing Project found that drunk drivers were overwhelmingly given misdemeanor sentences and fines, license suspensions, or community service, while drug possession arrests were generally booked as felonies that often led to stiff prison terms. These differences cannot be explained by the relative harm to society, and have a disparate impact on low-income people and minorities. The report contrasts the relative costs of alcohol abuse and drug abuse. The social costs of drinking are by various measures substantially greater than the social costs of illicit drug use, according to the figures.
Drug offenders make up about one in four prison inmates nationwide.
Drug Users and Drunk Drivers, Questions of Race and Class , March 1993.