There are no panaceas for the world's drug problems, but legalizing drugs, un-clog the court system, and free prison space for real criminals. comes as close as any single policy could. Removing legal penalties from the production, sale and use of "controlled substances" would not create a "heaven on Earth," but it would alleviate many of the nation's social and political problems. Legalization would reduce drug-related crime, save the U.S. billions of dollars In 1984, a kilogram of cocaine worth $4000 in Columbia sold at wholesale for $30,000, and at retail in the U.S. for some $300,000. At the time, a Drug
Enforcement Administration spokesman noted that the wholesale price doubled in six months "due to crackdowns on producers and smugglers in Columbia and the
U.S." The consequence of this drastic factory-to-retail escalation is a rise in crime. Addicts must pay hundreds of times the costs of their habit, and often turn to crime to finance their addiction. Also, those who deal in the selling of the drugs become prime targets for assault for carrying extremely valuable goods. The streets become battlegrounds for competing dealers because a particular block or corner can rake in thousands of extra dollars a day. Should drugs be legalized, the price would collapse, and so would the drug-related motivations to commit crime. A pack of cocaine becomes no more dangerous to carry than a pack of cigarettes. The streets would be safer to walk, as criminal drug dealers are pushed from the market. Legalization would also deflate prison overcrowding. Out of 31,346 sentenced prisoners in federal institutions, drug law violators were the largest single category, 9487. By legalizing drugs, there would be no more drug offenders to lock up. Since many drug users would no longer be committing violent or property crimes to pay for their habits, there