Today, there are 10 times as many. That number would be impressive if it had led to a commensurate reduction in trafficking, but it hasn't. The anti-drug infrastructure is as vast as it is scattered, bureaucracy piled upon bureaucracy. Like most wars, this one has become a big business for both sides. To say the drug war is a failure is like saying the Hindenburg was short a few fire extinguishers.
Recent surveys show that grass and cocaine use have leveled off or declined among teens.
Instead, special drug courts steer defendants toward treatment programs, sobriety and gainful employment. Attacking the demand for drugs is a slow and frustrating process, but it's more cost-effective than chasing after bandit suppliers, who are replaced as soon as they crash or get busted. There's exactly zero chance of stopping coca cultivation in Colombia and Peru as long as Americans back home are sucking down crack by the metric ton. Yet after all these years and billions of dollars, Washington still doesn't get it. We're still playing the star-spangled cowboy, chasing Cessnas across the Amazon.