Complicating efforts to fight the drug problem are prisons that are bursting at the seams that are already full of nonviolent offenders charged with drug-related crimes (Knowles, 2008). Conclusion

Given the potential threat to national security, something must be done today to eliminate the staggering financial incentives that are involved in illegal drug trafficking, and one such alternative would be the same solution that ended Prohibition and the organized crime that went hand in hand with that law. Legalizing drugs represents the only truly effective approach to eliminating the criminal element that is naturally attracted to the product because of their high demand and potential profits. While marijuana legalization efforts continue across the country, it is reasonable to conclude that ultimately the decision will be made that all of the expense and casualties...

When that point is reached, significant progress can then be made in eliminating organized crime from the drug business once and for all.
References

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