The "War
on Drugs" is not working. After decades of criminal prohibition
and intensive law enforcement efforts to rid the country of
illegal drugs, violent traffickers still endanger life in
our cities and tons of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana still
cross our borders unimpeded. For the first time in history,
the number of inmates in American prisons and jails has exceeded
2 million people, a rate of incarceration that is the highest
in the world! This has happened despite the fact that violent
crime has fallen to its lowest levels since 1974, when data
was first collected nationally. Drug offenses account for
nearly 60% of the federal prison population and more than
20% of the state inmate population.
The ACLU has been an outspoken critic of the
War on Drugs since the Reagan administration renewed efforts
to stamp out illicit drugs in the early 1980s. The ACLU Drug
Policy Litigation Project (DPLP), founded in 1999, conducts
the only national litigation program addressing civil rights
and civil liberties violations arising from the War on Drugs.
Based in New Haven, Connecticut, the DPLP has litigated cases
on many issues, including drug testing, racial justice, medical
marijuana, needle exchange, religious freedom, electronic
music culture, voting rights, students' rights and government
programs such as welfare. The DPLP also provides support to
ACLU drug reform efforts at the local, state, and national
levels.
We believe there are better ways to address
drug abuse, ways that will ultimately lead to a healthier,
freer and less crime-ridden society. Use the resources on
this site to learn more and take action to protect the rights
guaranteed to all Americans by the Bill of Rights.
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