War - 0, Drugs - 1

Anyone who knows me can testify to my adoration for Reagan and his policies, including his escalation of the "War on Drugs," beloved by politicians for decades. But how goes this war? The only time I ever hear about it is on Prime-Time news, whenever the DEA makes the occasional large bust. This comes off as more a 'see, we're trying' attitude than any actual progress. Even though I do not currently having any drug-consuming friends, I could make a few phone calls and easily procure just about anything. I'm sure many others could say the same thing. But this is just in America, Land of the Free and Home of Cheap Available Drugs.
What about the worldwide efforts to curb the supply and trade of drugs? After the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, opium production soared, due to the chaos that followed, and remains today. Heroin comes from opium, and I knew several addicts a few years ago, during the height of poppy production in Afghanistan, and they had no trouble whatsoever obtaining it. All you need to do to understand the current availability of this drug is to look at a recent study done in the UK, which shows how cheap it has become. Cheaper than a glass of wine for your average line of coke. This doesn't necessarily mean that less people are doing drugs, but the availability is still so broad that prices have dropped in half, according to this article.
The Federal Government will spend around 20 billion dollars this year on fighting the drug war, not counting the 30 billion local and state governments will spend. Where does all this money go? Now, since I didn't feel like researching that particular subject, I will open up with some wild speculation. Gold-plated carbines, the Annual Spring Flak Jacket Modeling competition, weekly keggers and that high-quality shit from Columbia are my guesses. There are over 2 million persons incarcerated in the U.S. prison system, more per capita than any other country in the world. At least twenty percent are in for drug offenses, that's about four hundred thousand people. All where they can still get the drugs that put them there. So what good is a war on drugs if you're losing?
Propaganda. You can still SAY that you are doing something, even if it is ineffectual and flushing billions of dollars away on armor-plated underwear for DEA agents. It's easier to throw money at a serious problem than to actually try and dig up the roots of the problem and address them. It's time for a song quote, kiddies.

"All research on successful drug policy shows that treatment should be increased; and law enforcement decreased, while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences." - System of a Down - Prison Song

Now when a metal band can reflect a better drug policy than the United States Government, you know something sinister is going on. I'm not going to even attempt to unravel this Gordian Knot of politics, kickbacks, contracts and public image, I don't have the time to do it. Besides, all you smart people out there know propaganda when you hear it. The battle is a losing one, and the War can never be won. But just make sure you don't let anyone take your picture holding a bong, especially if you're a famous Olympic swimmer. Enjoy the song, and listen the words, they're the important thing.