American law enforcement has made drug control one of its top priorities for nearly forty years. However, more and more people are starting to question the true benefits of the war on drugs. US President Barack Obama even called the war on drugs an “absolute failure” in the YouTube video “Barack Obama on Marijuana Decriminalization (2004)”. These kinds of negative views about the war on drugs are not unwarranted. The war on drugs has cost Americans $33 billion and countless lives (Miron Par. 1). The war on drugs is a terrible alternative to combating drug use in America, as evidenced by the history of prohibition, the crime it creates, the harmful effects it has on the lives of users, and the numerous deaths it causes. A failed policy and the government must respond by legalizing all recreational drugs. It is common knowledge in the United States that Prohibition is a failure. In the 1920s alcohol was made illegal by the US government during Prohibition. Instead of preventing alcohol consumption, this has only created organized criminal groups and a black market for the substance. This policy has not only failed to relieve the United States of drug use, but has also led to the formation of organized criminal syndicates and dangerous substitutes for these drugs. The same problems apply when drugs are made illegal (Thornton 1). Today there is an immense black marketGross 2of drugs that contribute to problems with prostitution, gambling and even human organs. Society suffers from the unsuccessful and costly results of prohibition. Although drug regulation has steadily increased, drug use and drug-related deaths have steadily increased. Even if the expense of fighting the... middle of paper......ition." The Independent Institute. Np, 2011. Web. June 21, 2011. .Nutt, David. "Ecstasy is no worse than riding ."" BBC News. BBC News, 7 February 2009. Web. 21 June 2011. .Dad, Anthony. “Will the drug lord take less time than the average nonviolent American drug addict?” HuffPost Politics. Np, Oct. 1, 2007 Web. June 21, 2011. “Table 2: Drug War Statistics (1979-2003).” Graphic Np, 2003. Web, June 21, 2011. .Thornton, Mark. CATO Institute, 17 July 1991. Web. 21 June 2011. .